


End Times: The Slayer Cometh

by DaneNagai



Category: Doom (Video Games), Vermintide, Warhammer Fantasy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Gore, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Major Original Character(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:34:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 57,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27435934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaneNagai/pseuds/DaneNagai
Summary: The Doom Slayer answers the call of a dying world. The Old World faces extinction as Chaos reigns supreme. With his sword of vengeance in hand, the Slayer enters the world to change the tides of war. No longer will there be the laughter of thirsting gods. Only their screams.
Relationships: Alarielle/Tyrion (WHF), Khorne/Valkia
Comments: 36
Kudos: 89





	1. The Slayer Cometh

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is Dane Nagai and I've finally moved to both Ao3 and Spacebattles right after the glitched FF.net incident! And I'm glad to finally post work now that I can work with much freedom and control with explicit content! I probably won't do it as much since I'm not comfortable with writing smut, but I can finally feel less cringe with FF.net out of the picture.
> 
> Still, it's good to be expanding my work in other places. A lot of pretty good content over here if you can dig through the amount of smut outta the way.
> 
> Anyways, here are the first two chapters imported from FF.net! Leave a comment and enjoy!

_The Worlde_

The Twin-Tailed Comet soared visibly over the sky. The Winds of Magic had changed. A disruption that would seal the fate of the world. Warp storms and an influx of the Hordes of Chaos have begun marching down south to the Worlde at the behest of the Dark Gods. The Southern population was in riots and hysteria was the norm before they were quelled by the highest authority. Mages all over scramble for answers while kings and generals muster up their armies to brace for the apocalypse. Unbeknownst to them, the Under-Empire were on the move, plotting and scheming their way as cataclysm draws near.

The End Times had come.

But they weren't the only ones in fear.

Far in the North, deep in the lands of the Chaos Wastes, the Dark Gods have felt a wave of disturbance. At first, they had dismissed it as an insignificant itch left unscratched. But the growing presence had begun creeping deep within the bowels of the Warp. This presence was oddly familiar, yet none could know certain of what it was.

* * *

_The Realm of Change_

Tzeentch - The Changer of Ways - became slightly erratic, having grown ever quiet as he looked through the many threads of Fate, though he hid it well enough to not alert the others. An unforeseen obstacle has brought itself into the fold, and for every vision he had seen, there was only death and ruination.

But not to the Worlde. But to Chaos.

For every plan he had conceived, the obstacle would only break through all of his countermeasures. For every step he pushed, the other would only be two steps ahead of him. This was impossible, for he had played the Game over and over, so much that he had taken careful steps to achieve his loose goals.

But not this time. For this was not planned in the Great Game.

But the Changer of Ways was undaunted. He had all of his servants seek out answers in the Material; to find the enigma of this Harbinger, and the solution to stop it. He kept his eyes on the threads, however, knowing that it may always appear before him.

* * *

_The Realm of Decay_

Nurgle - The Plague Lord - stirred in his cauldron, trying to shake off the nagging thoughts that plagued him. Despite humbly stewarding the natural decay in the Old World, he was becoming unnerved by the ever-increasing dread. His foul and festering gut had been bubbling and groaning as if to warn him of things to come. But why would he - the Lord of Decay - be worried? He was the embodiment of Death and Despair, so surely it was acceptable to feel the essence of despair... right?

He swirled into his putrid cauldron, looking upon the foul pool to see its reflection, to see the answers that forbode him. If it was what he had been warned, then he'll humbly accept it... hopefully.

* * *

_The Realm of Pleasure_

Slaanesh - the Dark Prince - laid in hir bed, grooming hir hair to perfection. But this was a distraction to the dark recesses that have been preoccupying at the back of hir mind. Hir consorts and slaves were there to please hir every whim. But they could not sway hir from hir thoughts. This was something else. It was an aching feeling that stirred hir... and She would have it.

She was not as fearful as She should be. It had become present lately and She yearned for it. Everything She desired, She would take it for hir own. The Worlde was always hir oyster. Shamefully, hir brothers would see it be destroyed for their own amusement. She had protested at the idea, but none heed hir words. She was always the "weak one" among the gods, so why should they listen to Hir? She shook at the miserable thought.

Leaving hir bed - much to hir slaves' pleadings - Slaanesh walked towards her finest mirror. A large, opulent one it was. Tall enough to reach the roof of her home. She first admired her lovely form - Perfection as it always will be - before calling upon her powers to retrieve the answers she seeks. It would take some time to find it, but Slaanesh will always have what She desires...

* * *

_The Realm of Blood_

Khorne - The Blood God - sat upon his throne. His seat of skulls, ever-growing. And his rivers of blood, ever-flowing. War and Wrath ever-present around him, for they were his domain. The glory of battle it was he sought, for only the greatest of warriors were worthy of his attention. Yet he remained stoic for much of his time. Other times, he will throw into a rage should he ever be slighted. Yet, like all others, an ever-looming danger had cast its shadow upon the realms of Chaos.

And the first time since Valkia became his bride... he smiled. And laughed.

His laughter rang the halls of his fortress, much to the shock of his minions and underlings. They had never heard their master feel joy for a long time. It was truly an unforeseen event, and it meant something important would happen.

Khorne stood up from his throne and descended the mountain of skulls to the largest blood pool. There, he waited for the answer to come to him. Whatever it was, it will be worthy of his time.

* * *

_Ulthuan_

Teclis had been in his library for who knows how long. With the Twin-Tailed Comet soaring visibly among the stars, there were omens of forthcoming events that would transpire in the near future. News of Chaos rampaging their way down south had been spreading, and the High Loremaster himself searched through the books of the library. He had kept himself shut within to put all of his focus in searching for answers. His brother, Tyrion, had grown worried for his health and tried to make frequent visits for him. However, Teclis had occasionally sent messages from time to time to assuage his brother's fears. For now, though, he had taken it upon himself to seek answers.

Answers he would soon discover.

sigh* "If only there was a miracle placed in my hands, I would give all my possessions to charity." Teclis muttered to himself, laughing under his breath at his own deprecation.

As Teclis scoured through the library, one peculiar book had caught his eye. In all of his years that he had spent in that quiet little sanctuary, he had never noticed this book.

"Curious." Teclis muttered, narrowing his eye at the book. "Why am I seeing this book of all times?"

He soon picked it up and looked at the book before him. From its appearance, it had looked worn out. Over several millennia, he presumed. The cover was barely in proper condition for some many years, and the pages within had grown yellow; its edges slightly teared up. Yet what was interesting was the symbol at the centre. It was a marking of sorts that was completely unknown to any of the Loremaster's knowledge. But there was power within. Of that, he was certain.

Teclis' discovery was renewed with great interest. Seeking the knowledge within, he flipped through the pages and behold the stories. Inside were records of a lost and forgotten civilization. There were murals of ages past, but the texts were rather foreign and dead, but with a bit of concentration and magic, the Loremaster was able to translate the texts. What he discovered was far more a blessing. A race far ancient than even the Old World this once great race stood as the protectorate of the lesser realms. These people - the Argenta - were mighty and hardy whose culture revelled in war, not unlike the savages who worship Chaos. But their similarities only ended there. Beyond it, the Argenta stood guard for those under their protection. Their technology far greater than even the most skilled of dwarfs - with behemoths that could even stand toe to toe with their world's Titans - and were attuned to god-like beings only known as the Maykrs.

With their combined might, the Argenta became the most powerful civilization to exist beyond the stars. But like every empire from before, they soon found their greatest enemies. Ones that were just the same as the Old World had suffered.

Demons. They were different compared to Chaos in some ways based on their descriptions, but no less an existential threat. These invaders would attack the Argenta in an attempt to gain more ground in their demonic expansion. But the Argenta would push them back. It was a never-ending struggle for the Argenta, but they persevered in the face of damnation. Fighting hard and enduring the worse.

Until he showed up.

As Teclis continued reading through it, he noticed reoccurring themes. It wasn't obvious at first but it became apparent that the texts soon followed the attention of one man. Originally known as the Outlander - for he was found outside one of their citadels - the man would soon rise above his peers and become a legendary hero to all. He started as an animal, his mad ravings made evident just how far gone he was. Yet those ravings held truth, for they spoke of demons. The man eventually rose to fame as a gladiator of Argenta's coliseum, where he was beaten and bloodied but stood back up through sheer will alone. He was then knighted by the King of that time - Novik - and from then on, the man would bring victory after victory in their battle against the demons. His rage and hatred for such despicable abominations were so well documented that he been accused of being a demon by the people's Inquisition. However, his brutality against the demonic hordes disproved that theory. His legends spread so much, that the people revered him as a hero.

No longer was he named the Outlander, for the Argenta had given him a new name...

**The Doom Slayer.**

And upon flipping the page after, there did Teclis saw the mural that was the Doom Slayer. A knight shrouded in green-tinted armour, standing above the bodies of the demonic horde. In his hand, held a weapon Teclis recognized as a human "gun"; symbolized as a sword of vengeance wielded by the Slayer.

Afterwards, there came more and more passages of the Slayer's recorded feats. With one event detailing his battle against a titan. But then the stories soon culminated into betrayal. Both the Maykrs and their Priests, as well as a traitor among the warriors - the Night Sentinels - sought power and trapped the Sentinels into Hell; dooming them to an agonizing defeat. But despite the downfall and eventual collapse of the Argenta, the last testimonies of the Slayer remained unknown, having been recorded as the only known survivor; hinting at the possibilities that he was still fighting in his one-man crusade.

Teclis closed the book for one final time. The Loremaster contemplated at what he had just read. If he had been reading this when the world wasn't coming to an end, he probably would've either read it as a pastime or throw it in the trash. But the entries were written as historical. And the recorded accounts within were very much real in a way. How much of it was true and how much of it was false threw Teclis into a crisis of sorts. He would no doubt pass it off as rubbish; seeing it as a mere bedtime story for children. But he sensed some truth in the texts.

The Loremaster left the library and headed towards the balcony of his home. It was night by the time he finished. He took a deep breath to allow the breeze of the chill air entered his lungs.

 _"Of all the knowledge I seek, the one remaining answer that could stop this world from going mad may or may not be gone. And I am reading from what is presumably a fairytale by now."_ Teclis grumbly thought to himself. _"Fifty-fifty doesn't sound nearly as bad as it should be."_

As Teclis recollected his thoughts, a knock from the library's door was enough to interrupt his thinking.

"Enter!" The doors open on Teclis' command. A guard had walked in and bowed respectfully.

"Loremaster." The guard started. "You have a visitor."

"If it's my brother, tell him that I'm well and I need no assistance with my work." Teclis grumbled.

"It is not Prince Tyrion, my lord." The guard replied. "In fact, the visitor did not specify who he was. Only that he requested to see you. Privately."

Teclis raised an eyebrow at the request. Now? At this time of hour? What on earth could it be?

"Very well, send him in." The guard bowed at Teclis' command and went off to retrieve the anonymous visitor. Moments later, the guard from before had returned with the visitor in tow. The visitor in question hid his features underneath a cloak. Teclis dismissed the guard and the door was soon closed off, leaving only the two remaining inside.

"I do hope you have something of importance. As you can see, I am currently preoccupied with matters concerning the peaceful times we live in." Teclis dryly said. It was met with a chuckle from the hooded figure.

"Heh. Always the jester, Teclis." The visitor replied. "Though, I highly doubt the Phoenix Court would take it well without umbrage. Especially when in the presence of your King."

The visitor soon pulled out his hood, revealing himself to be King Finubar, much to Teclis' surprise.

"My king!" Teclis started. "I did not know that yo-"

Finubar raised a hand to stop his apology.

"No need. The time for apologies is way past. Now's a time to discuss." Finubar replied. The Loremaster only remained silent, awaiting what came next.

"How may I assist you, my lord?" Finubar responded with a heavy sigh.

"I'm afraid the news that I bring would stir trouble within both the Phoenix Court and all of Ulthuan."

Finubar walked towards the balcony, taking in a view of the entire island. But as he walked, Teclis noticed him clutching his chest. He was in pain. But from what?

"My king, are you all right?" Teclis asked out of concern. He was met with only silence, only for Finubar to continue.

"The Twin-Tailed Comet soars visibly, as of late. And I fear that the world is in great turmoil. You've noticed the warp storms, yes? The change in the Winds? The arrival of Chaos coming to our doorstep?" Finubar continued. "The world is in grave danger as we speak... and we are doomed to a terrible fate."

"I'm well aware, King Finubar." Teclis responded. "I have grown tirelessly to find the answers. Many of which I'm aiming to use to prevent this occurrence."

"And none have been of use, I take it?" Finubar questioned. Teclis did not answer. Either he had none or he did but was merely following a fluke. The king did not need an answer.

"I had thought so..." Finubar said, dejectedly. "Which is why I have discovered two new solutions. Both of which that could change the tide in our favour."

Teclis looked in surprise, but held his tongue and listened intently.

"The first of which concerns a knight from ages past. One whose very existence shakes the very core of Chaos itself. The one called Doom Slayer."

Teclis could only blink in surprise.

"I know you've been reading about him earlier. I noticed the book on your table as soon as I entered. The etching on the cover. It was unmistakable, and no mere coincidence." Finubar noted, turning back to stare straight into Teclis' eyes without an ounce of emotion.

"H-How do you know all of this? What do you know of him?" Teclis asked.

"That he has fought countless battles against daemons. Stirred fear in the hearts of the abominations. And killed dark gods who would try to conquer the lesser races. There is not much I could add that the book hasn't already."

Finubar then took a seat on one of the chairs closest to him. His legs were giving out as Teclis deduced. The king was becoming weaker, but he continued.

"But he is one of our few salvations that will stop Chaos. And he must be brought here. To bring judgement."

"But how? The records stated that he has gone missing since the defeat of the Night Sentinels. He's more likely dead by now." Teclis' skepticism was only met with a hollowed laughter from his king.

"Heh. If only you knew..." Finubar responded, before taking a deep breath. "... I spoke with Asuryan. He had told me of the Doom Slayer's whereabouts and he is very much alive; continuing his crusade against the demons.

Teclis was stunned with silence. Asuryan? The Creator? And Finubar was able to speak to him? So many questions in his mind, but the sight of Finubar groaning in pain ceased all thoughts.

"My king, you are in pain. I shou-"

"No," Finubar commanded. "I must finish what needs to be said."

Teclis wanted to protest but remained silent.

"The Slayer is very much alive. Bring him to this world, so that he can save us all. Both with your magic and Lileath's."

Finubar soon closed his eyes. "Which brings us to our second solution... one that I ask must not be revealed to all of Ulthuan until the deed is done."

Finubar then looked straight into Teclis' eyes once more. This time, with regret in his eyes.

"Malekith must become the next Phoenix King."

Teclis could only stare in shock at those words. Years of warring with the Druchii - the dark counterpart of the Asur - had only brought suffering to them. Their ruler - Malekith, The Witch-King of Naggaroth - attempted to usurp the throne by poisoning Bel Shenaar. His attempts were soon averted as the Fires of the Phoenix burned him to an unrecognizable charred body. Even then, he still lives and continues to send an onslaught to Ulthuan's shores to claim his place as the Phoenix King. All while leaving a trail of bodies behind his waking power. The Loremaster could only protest in response.

"I object!" He exclaimed. "I will not allow Malekith usurp the title as Phoenix King as before! Do you have any idea how many grievances he has brought to the Asur?! So much blood has been spilled because of his thirst for power! His rule will no doubt issue a reign of terror for all of Ulthuan! I cannot allow this, even as you are my king! It is madness!"

Finubar could only stare at him in defeat.

"I know what I am asking is of grave consequences... but it is Asuryan's will that you must answer."

Teclis struggled to comprehend what was going in his king's mind. Finubar still explained without genuine sincerity.

"Asuryan told me his reasons. After Malekith's banishment, and with Chaos growing stronger than before, Asuryan's powers are waning. And the Witch-King is the closest we have to stop the apocalypse."

Finubar took a long breath again. He was struggling more so than before.

"Despite everything... that Malekith had done to us all... he is not beyond redemption... In his heart... lies the Fire of Asuryan... You must bring him to the Phoenix Court... and only then could he unite the Elves to face Chaos as one."

Finubar looked into Teclis' eyes with sincere regret.

"You should've been there... the voice in Asuryan... so much pain... and remorse... I believed he wanted to redeem us... somehow... and this was his final... conclusion..."

Finubar tried to stand up from his seat, only to collapse on one knee. Teclis was quick to rush to his king's aid.

"My king, you are ill! I must get you to the healers! They wil-"

"No... There's nothing you can do... to save me." Finubar answered.

"I am dying, Teclis... I used all of my strength... and will... to speak to Asuryan... and he has given me... enough time... to send the news to you... and to you only..."

Finubar's health was deteriorating faster than expected. He soon dropped to the floor.

"Promise me... that you'll complete... my final will... as your king... one final time."

Teclis held Finubar's hand as he slowly succumbed to death.

"Find... the Slayer... Bring... Malekith... as Phoenix... King..."

Finubar finished his last words. His grip on Teclis' hand-turned loose, falling to the ground. Finubar died in peace, entrusting Teclis to deliver his promise. Teclis' heart turned heavy at what he must now do. He closed his king's lifeless eyes; a smile of content visible on his face.

"Guards!" Teclis called out. Soon, many of the guardsmen had come pouring into the library. Their eyes now focused on the body they recognized as King Finubar the Seafarer.

"Take his body back to Eataine. Be careful with him." Teclis ordered. The guards did their best to delicately carry Finubar and bring him to his final resting place. The Loremaster kept one guardsman in to deliver another mission.

"Send word to all of Ulthuan of what transpired here. King Finubar is dead. Now go. I have other matters to attend to." The guardsman quickly nodded and made haste. Teclis remained in his studies, placing a hand on the table before him.

With Finubar dead, the coming days of the End Times drew near. Ulthuan will soon collapse as the Phoenix Court scramble to find a new king, and they will certainly not take well with the Witch-King in place.

But his king made his intentions clear: return Malekith to his rightful place.

_Menu Theme - DOOM Eternal (OST) (1:47 - 2:46 on repeat for each section after.)_

But first, another task must be completed. Teclis reached for the book of the Slayer. He walked straight to the centre of the library and began calling the goddess Lileath.

"Oh Lileath, thy Maiden, I beseech thee to aid me with one task! Hear the pleading of an Asur in need!" He called out. The room glowed an eerily blue colour. Books were flung around in a vortex-like whirl as the magic grew strong. Moments later, the visage of a female apparition stood before the Loremaster himself. Lileath had answered his call.

 _"I am the Goddess of Dreams and Wants, what do you need O noble Asur?"_ She asked.

"I have been given a task to which may be impossible, but I have given an oath to my late king to summon a hero from the past." Teclis raised the book as he answered. The expression on the goddess was that of surprise and astonishment just as she stared at the symbol on the book.

 _"So it is true..."_ Lileath muttered. " _Asuryan has called for Hell's Bane. It will be done as granted. I will help you, Asur. Come, let us channel our powers so that it may be done."_

Teclis smiled in gratitude. As instructed, his magic combined with hers. The blue glow grew ever brighter. The power of the magic grew stronger as they pierced the veil of the realms beyond. Using the book, they searched for the Slayer's mark outside the world and into another. Only then did they find him. His latest battle had him facing off a horrifically horned beast of gargantuan proportions. The Slayer stood victorious and returned to his fortress among the stars. Finally locating his coordinates, they set up a portal for him to enter.

The portal that homed in on the fortress only showed darkness. Thinking quick on his feet, Teclis called out.

"I call upon the one named Doom Slayer!" He called out. "I have sought for your legendary skills and I must ask you to enter! Quickly, I can only hold this portal for so long! We need your help! Please!"

He was met with only silence. As Teclis was about to lament his mistake, the portal glowed brighter. And within seconds, came out a man.

He walked out of the portal, with a weapon in hand. His armour, different from the mural, but unmistakable without a doubt. His stride, not of confidence, but one that has seen countless battles for many eons.

Teclis did not see a man that stood before him.

Only a **demigod.**

* * *

_The Warp_

The Immaterium was in... chaos.

The Unchained Predator had come to the Old World. And his Mark upon it will bring an end to all of Chaos.

Tzeentch screamed as the threads revealed the Fate that threatened Chaos as a whole. His realm began to collapse and shatter itself violently and his servants shift and twist in unimaginable pain, screaming with incoherency.

Nurgle, for the first time in his existence, cried in terror as his cauldron revealed the Slayer in all of his dreaded glory, before exploding within as the vision was too much for it to handle. His minions felt it and hid within his bosom for protection, as well as to comfort him.

Slaanesh backed away in total horror for what the mirror had shown. Hir consorts screamed in response and lashing out at anything in hysteria, just as the mirror shattered in itself as a response to the premonition. The Dark Prince was in shock hirself, and just before She knew it, blacked out.

Khorne, on the other hand, had the greatest laughter he had since forever, just as his throne of skulls collapsed on itself and his rivers blood boiled to impossible degrees. His servants trembled in fear, however, for they would meet their end at the hands of the Hellwalker himself. But the Blood God was pleased to find a worthy challenger return to him.

This will be a battle of the ages.

* * *

_Chaos Wastes_

The Warriors of Chaos were in complete disarray as they too received the visions from their Dark Gods. Those following one of the Gods were affected greatly by them as they each had different levels of insanity.

Followers of Tzeentch screaming incoherently, writhing and convulsing in imaginable pain. Some had even begun in the process of transforming into Chaos Spawn, while others with stronger wills could only laugh and rave madly as they saw the premonitions shared by their God.

Children of Nurgle could only cry uncontrollably as their Father spread his infectious visions with complete despair. Their tears being nothing but pustules from eyes that no longer exist. Some in fact were soiling themselves to death. Most of them would go so far as to break down into literal pieces for they no longer had the will to endure further. It made the saner Chaos Warriors start vomiting in disgust.

Servants of Slaanesh had the worse of them. From massive hysteria to attacking nearby warriors with random acts of violence - so much that even that Khornate berserkers wouldn't approve of - to even going comatose as some dropped to the ground beneath their feet.

Only the warriors of Khorne and Chaos Undivided were able to quell the disorder within their ranks, albeit barely. Khornates, especially, seemed uncharacteristically in control with their emotions as they began restraining their brethren from further chaos.

Standing above the chaotic sea of what was insanity, was the Everchosen. Archaon watched with a mixture of horror, frustration, and amusement as he looked onto the crowd in utter disbelief. Even his lieutenants were affected, more or less. Sigvald was smashing the mirror on his shield uncontrollably, screaming that there is no longer perfection, only pain; the Glotkin were crying without end, their despair so foul that it was hard to be near them; Vilitch the Curseling began writhing around over his brother's shoulders, cursing and lashing out anything near him; Valkia's shield lashing out at her anyone within lashing distance much to the Gorequeen's shock; and many more.

Only Archaon, Vardek Crom, Wulfrik the Wanderer and Valkia the Bloody and a few others were the only ones who had any semblance of sanity.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Wulfrik exclaimed with shared disbelief and shock at the ensuing chaos below.

"You ask as if we know the answer to all of this!" Vardek Crom retorted. Soon after there was a yelling match. Then exchanged insults. And then a brawl ensued as they started balling fists at one another. Chaos Warriors soon held both men back. Valkia approached Archaon with concern.

"I sense my beloved has the answers to this." She suggested. Archaon turned to face her with stoicism.

**"Then answers I shall find from him."**

* * *

_The Worlde_

Those who were not part of the Chaos horde were just as affected by the shared madness. Cultists began revealing themselves within human societies as they started by either screaming their minds out, attacking bystanders or just commit suicide in public. Inquisitions and other authorities quickly started city-wide sweeps of this phenomenon; detaining and executing heretics. It was both a blessing and a curse as they were finally given an easier time taking out heresy but were quickly spreading out thin while receiving more paperwork to deal with.

In the dark forests of Drakwald, the Beastmen were more disorganized than before, with many of them killing one another with such madness that their screaming and braying could be heard all over the nearby isolated villages, Athel Loren, and Carroburg. It unnerved many that they all began securing defences around the territories.

From the cold lands of Naggaroth, members of the Cult of Pleasure were going catatonic and dropping like mayflies everywhere. Some convulsing and foaming from the mouths, and few growing mutations from their bodies. Morathi - the Hag Queen - was affected but managed well enough to investigate the problem that transpired. Still, it greatly disoriented her throughout the day. Malus Darkblade, however, lost control of Tz'arkan as it started screaming and begging to protect them from the Doom Slayer.

However, not every race saw it as an omen of death. Others saw great blessings in this new arrival.

In Averlorn, Alarielle - the Everqueen - is awoken from her rest and finds herself at a loss of breath as the flow of magic within her burst out and spread through her forests. Taken by surprise, Alarielle was eager to learn the catalyst of it. Such an event would provide a far greater impact on the world.

In Athel Loren - where the Oak of Ages resides in harmony with the natural wonders of its home - Ariel - Queen of its Forests - is struck by wonder and awe as a surge of magic flourished in and out of her home. The Asrai looked on in shock by the sudden changes in her forest. Already, the beautiful greenery exploded with vibrancy and colour. Not far from the Oak, Durthu - one of the last Elder Treemen - sensed it as well. A new season has erupted. A season of rebirth had commenced.

Within the Empire's Vault, the Grand Theologist hears the call of the God-King and is greeted with visions of a man who will one day destroy the horrors of Chaos and its twisted servants with a fury so righteous that even the heavens tremble in its waking destruction. Volkmar made his way out of the vault with fervour and faith in heart, for the day of reckoning had come, and the world will be liberated of the Dark Gods.

From Bretonnia, the Fay Enchantress senses the arrival of a knight of great power. Wearing colours similar to that of the Green Knight himself but his pursuit extended far beyond the realm of the Lady, where Chaos shall meet its end. Appearing at her side, the Green Knight himself stood vigilant, yet all aware of the knight's presence. Destiny made manifest

From the Worlds Edge Mountains, the White Dwarf was stirred from his stupor; the whisper of the winds tell of the greatest grudge - once thought to be nigh-impossible to settle - shall be erased by a not a dwarfen Slayer, but by a human Slayer. The dwarf stroked his beard with great interest and rejoice, but that time will come when Fate has been dictated. For now, the cries of his many brothers were heard. And he will make certain that the dwarfs will see the light of day to settle another grudge.

In the tropical jungles of Lustria, the wise Slaan oversee the Great Plans of the Old Ones, and what they had seen was unexpected. The Doom Slayer's entrance to their world had caused a massive shift in the balance. And much to the Slaan's relief, their fortunes had been in their favour. With a single thought, the Slaan began to set the motions of the fate of the world. And all will go accordingly as written by the Old Ones.

In the dark realms of Sylvania, the Necrarchs were greatly disturbed by the presence of an unknowable force. His arrival will bring forth uncertain doom to the vampires. Yet, the prophesized one would also bring an end to their curse left by the Great Necromancer; bringing the vampires to walk under the sun once more. Other bloodlines, however, knew of it and seek the discovery of this new legend. From the Queen of Lahmia to the Von Carsteins to the first Blood Dragon, the Counts will stop at nothing to get ahold of the prophesized one. Whether he will save them... or destroy them, Fate will decide.

In the deadlands of Nehekera, the greatest of the Tomb Kings - alongside his vassals and subjects - sensed a forthcoming omen. A sign of great change had come to his great exodus. And for the first time in his long lifespan, ever so watchful of his great kingdom, he only felt one thing. The one emotion that was ever so alien to his unlife.

Humility.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Badlands, an orc shaman receives a vision from his twin gods, that the greatest WAAAAAAGH! the world has ever known will not be from one of their own, but that of a human in their colours. The shaman, with newfound purpose, sets off to find prophecized warboss. For there will be more fighting to be had.

And finally - within the Skaven Under-Empire - the Council of Thirteen schemed and plotted as the world above continued to diminish on itself. Through their spies, they had received news of Chaos going through a mass-panic with unprecedented change. This pleased them, for the Skaven could finally show themselves as the true master race of the Old World. However, their gleefulness soon turned into fear for the news of another threat had emerged. The one called the Doom Slayer. Soon, they began plotting and scheming more. This time on how to defeat the Doom Slayer.

* * *

_Gods of the Worlde_

Outside the realm of mortals - far away from the realm of Chaos - the Gods of both the Elder and Lesser races gathered and watched with great interests as the Champion of Humanity entered this world by the Loremaster himself. With entirely different reasons, of course.

Both the Cadai and the Cytharai were pleased to see him for he would protect their children from Chaos itself. The Gods of Man were just as well, if not, greatly so for he shared the same fondness for Mankind. The Dwarfen Pantheon, meanwhile, approved of his grudge against Chaos for what it was just as he did with the Legions of Hell. The orc twins - Gork and Mork - became overly eager at the thought of the greatest fight for their people will be from a human. And last but not least - laying in the shadows - was the Horned Rat, who coveted the power of the Four but wanted to be rid of the Slayer, for he would disrupt his plans for true godhood.

But they all shared a common goal.

No longer will there be the laughter of thirsting gods.

Only their **screams.**


	2. Harbinger's Arrival

_Doom Fortress, moments before arrival._

The Doom Slayer had defeated the Icon of Sin mere moments ago. He had returned to his fortress to settle down after the long fight. If only for a bit.

The ARC Broadcast was on and became background noise as the Slayer went to his recreational room, but the Slayer heard enough to take in from the report.

With the Icon of Sin disposed of, Hell's forces had withdrawn for now. The Slayer felt a tiny bit of relief wash over him for his work. But he still had work to do. Demons weren't going to kill themselves while he was around.

 ** _"I've scanned the whole planet and demon activity has grown silent for awhile now. This will give you some time off. I'll keep an eye out on anything that interests you."_** Hayden suggested. Not that the Slayer needed to be reminded. He sighed in lament of having to leave VEGA back in Urdak in order to return to Earth. Now his only companion in the fortress was the one responsible for this whole mess.

Dr. Samuel Hayden. Former head of the UAC and now leader of the ARC Resistance. Despite his willingness to aid him and fight off the demons, the Slayer hold him in contempt for his actions back on Mars. The Argent energy, the inhuman experiments, the cult led by Olivia Pierce; all of it was on his hands.

However, his aid and support made him tolerate Hayden's presence to a degree. Somewhat.

Doom Slayer walked towards the recreational room and placed the final piece of his collectibles. An Icon of Sin figurine that dwarfed all the other figurines to the point it took up two shelves to place it among them. He was damn proud of his achievement and admired them all.

But before he could settle down, the lights all over the fortress began flickering uncontrollably.

 _ **"You might want to get to the main deck. It seems we have uninvited guests."**_ Hayden alerted. Back on his feet, Slayer hurried torwards the teleporter. All the while grabbing plenty of ammunition before heading out.

Not a few moments in, the teleporter was acting haywire. Hayden had no idea what was going on even as he attempted to override the controls. Doom Slayer summoned his super shotgun and began reloading. He awaited for his threat to come.

What he didn't expect was a voice from the other side.

"I call upon the one named Doom Slayer!" It called out. "I have sought for your legendary skills and I must ask you to enter! Quickly, I can only hold this portal so long! We need your help! Please!"

Lowering his gun in response, Hayden quickly jumped with preparations.

 ** _"The destination is far from where we are. Much farther."_ **Hayden remarked. _**"**_ ** _I'll setup a transfer of the fortress to our new coordinates. It'll take awhile to get there, but in the meantime, let's not make our host wait, shall we?_**

Doom Slayer needed no response. He walked towards the portal with a clear mind.

It was another day for the Slayer.

* * *

_White Tower of Hoeth, Ulthuan, moments before arrival._

By the time Tyrion arrived to the White Tower, it was night. Before then, he had sent several messages to make sure Teclis was alright. Most of the time, it was always his famous sharp-tongued responses that was plainly written on his messages. However, he had grown awfully quiet as of late, and it worried the prince. For all his butting heads with Teclis, Tyrion still cared enough for him to visit even if he had several guards looking after him in his tower.

Behind Tyrion were a retinue of eight of the best warriors Ulthuan had bolstered. While they were not needed as the prince was fully capable of protecting himself, it was still mandatory to at least have a couple of guards following him. Regardless, Tyrion handpicked the best of the best in case he was in a bit of trouble.

Which was never.

His stopped his horse as they arrived near the door. The retinue followed suit as well. However, as they did, the doors to the White Tower opened to reveal several guardsmen carrying the body down the stairs. Tyrion dropped whatever he did and rushed towards them. The guards noticed the audible footsteps approached them and were shocked to see the Prince standing before them with anger and fear on his face.

"What happened here?!" Tyrion demanded. The guards had little time to explain before he shoved one of them aside and pulled the blanket. Horror was the feeling when he and his guards saw the face of King Finubar the Seafarer. Dead outside of the White Tower of Hoeth.

Tyrion's feared for what had happened. Had his brother killed his king? If so? Why would he commit a heinous crime. Enraged at the sight of his dead king, the prince looked straight intp the eyes of every single one of Teclis' guards.

"Where is my brother?! He will answer for this!" He demanded. Every guard winced as he questioned them, all while quivering beneath their armor. However, he was soon interrupted as a light glowed bright outside if the tower for everyone from the ground to witness. Tyrion's expression changed from anger to worry as he had realized what the light could be.

"Teclis..." Tyrion looked to his own guards to take command.

"You four." He ordered one half of the guards. "Keep watch on these guards while I'm gone. The rest follow me."

All guardsmen took initiative and followed orders. Tyrion went straight towards the doors and entered.

_"Pray that you are innocent, brother..."_

* * *

_Present_

Teclis looked on in awe as he stared at the "guest" standing before him.

The Doom Slayer. In the flesh.

While Teclis had seen many marvels come and go, to see a legend come out of the books is a feat on itself.

The Loremaster bowed in honor of the Slayer's arrival.

"Welcome, Great Slayer!" Teclis greeted. "I am Teclis, High Loremaster of Hoeth and Warden of the White Tower. And it is an honor to make your presence."

The Slayer could only stare at him in silence, leaving Teclis a little unnerved at the silent treatment. But he remained polite as possible. Clearing his throat, he spoke up.

"I... understand that I may have interrupted your recent victory. But I can assure you that I will make your time worthwhile." Teclis continued. Again, he was given the silent treatment. By this point, he had taken a good observation of the Slayer.

He stood quite tall as the Loremaster had expected; being around the height of a regular Norscan. Which is still pretty big. His armor was extraordinarily unique. It was unlike anything the Loremaster had seen. Such intricated designs could make a dwarf shed tears for its beautiful patterns. The colour of his armor had an earthly green to it with mix of copper and brown thrown in. Yet, it was close to the mural's depictions of him. His biceps were plainly visible as if to scream "I got balls and you don't because I took them and made mine bigger". Still, they are definite proof of that.

Now that Teclis thought about, the Slayer wouldn't look out of place in an army full of Norscans. Add a couple of spikes and horns, and he would fit right in with the Warriors of Chaos.

In his hand was a weapon that Teclis recognised as by far the most intimidating thing that the Old World has seen. It had the appearance of what the humans and dwarves had in their armies known as a gun. He had seen several of them during his travels, yet none of them had double barrels instead of a single barrel, and it was by far more advance than either of the races' craftsmanships. On closer inspection, Teclis could also see a blade-like attachment potruding at the bottom of the barrels, which he deduced as some sort of bayonet to stab opponents upclose.

The one unique thing that interested Teclis the most was the Slayer's helmet. His visor showed his face quite a bit, if a little dark. Yet, what was interesting was that it had a glass-like protection over it. Of course, appearances can be deceiving and he would like to ask about it.

Unfortunately, the sound of footsteps ruined the chances as the doors to the library behind him soon opened. And the first to enter was his brother - Tyrion - followed by a group of guardsman.

"Teclis! You better have a goo-" Tyrion stopped mid-sentence as he saw the Slayer standing from where he arrived by Teclis.

"INTRUDER!" His brother instinctively pulled out his sword, turning ablaze, along with the guardsmen who did the same. Two archers readied their bows, while a pikeman and a man with a sword and shield took stances and formed around the prince. Meanwhile, the Slayer reacted by raising his gun in one hand with zero need to defend himself out of confidence. Teclis knew where this was leading to and immediately stood in the way of both parties.

"Stop!" He ordered. "As Warden of the White Tower, I demand you all to sheathe your weapons! I will not have blood be spilled on these grounds!"

The look on Tyrion's face was that of confusion, but went back to being serious again.

"Do not listen to him! Not until he gives his reasons!" He ordered. Teclis was a bit relieved to hear his brother coming to his senses. But he needed to act quick.

"I assure you the man behind me was allowed passage! Thus he is a guest in my home!" He answered. Tyrion still kept his emotions hidden behind a grim scowl; not ready to drop his weapon just yet.

"Then explain as to why King Finubar of Eataine was found dead outside of your home, Teclis." Tyrion demanded. This was admittedly difficult to explain to him without looking like Chaos-supporter.

"Finubar came to the White Tower with the intention of delivering tasks to me. None of the guards outside had known that it was him when he arrived. He did not want anyone to know his identity lest he alerted all of Ulthuan. He needed this to be private. It was one of utmost importance."

"Then what was it? Speak before I have both of you arrested."

_**"I highly advised against arresting the Slayer. For the sake of both you, your guards, and our gracious host."** _

Everyone in the room were taken aback by the booming voice that echoed from the Slayer. Yet Teclis had noticed that he had spoken in third person. As if he were a seperate entity.

"You... talk? I had mistaken you for a mute."

 _ **"Oh, he is. Lost his voice a long time ago. I am merely the mouth piece of the man you're speaking to."**_ The voice replied, much to Teclis' shock. There was another person inside this man? Or was he possessed by this voice?

"Then who is it that I'm speaking to?" Teclis asked.

 _ **"I am Dr. Samuel Hayden. Former head of the United Aerospace Corporation and Leader of the Armored Response Coalition. But for now, I am merely a voice within his armor."**_ Teclis had no idea who this "Hayden" was speaking about but they definitely sounded important to consider. However, his brother ruined it by opening his mouth again.

"A possessed armor? Then that makes you either an undead or one of the servants of Chaos! Which means I am within dead rights to execute you on charges of possessing a cursed relic, for serving the Dark Gods, and for murdering our king!" Tyrion declared. The Hayden spirit sounded rather annoyed when he replied.

_**"I am neither undead nor do I know what this "Chaos" you speak of. And we had no idea that your king had died. And quite frankly, what 'Tech-less' speaks of is the truth. In any case, it would be wise of you and your men to drop your weapons before my companion pulls the trigger."** _

From what Teclis could see, Tyrion was infuriated at the offended remark.

"Your dare threaten me? A prince with four of the best warriors handpicked in all of Ulthuan?!"

 _ **"Coming from the same man who's brought a sword to a gunfight. And I hate to disappoint your archers but those arrows will do nothing against his armor. That is if you actually do hit him..."**_ Hayden goaded. This argument was going nowhere, Teclis thought, so he spoke once more.

"Tyrion - for the love of Isha - will you send your guards away so that we may speak privately? We both know that you're more than capable of defending yourself than be pampered by a bunch of useless halfwits whose real purpose is to simply put up the 'guardsmen' act." Teclis then looked back at the Slayer, still pointing his gun at the guards.

"As for you, Hayden, I would see that you cease your insults against the prince for everyone's best interests. And that includes you, Slayer. So please, lower your weapons.

Tyrion struggled to keep his temper in check but ultimately let out a groan, before sheathing his sword into its scabbard. He then looked back to his guards.

"Stand down, men. Wait outside the door until further notice." He ordered. All of them wanted to protest but knew it was not worth the risk to not to speak against their prince. They had sheathed their weapons and left the room. Likewise, Doom Slayer had lowered his gun and soon magically disappeared from his hand. As soon as the doors were closed, Tyrion exploded in anger at his brother's most recent incident.

"Two weeks... TWO WEEKS! YOU HAVEN'T RESPONDED TO ANY OF MY MESSAGES DURING THOSE TWO WEEKS! AND HERE I FIND YOU WITH OUR KING DEAD DOWNSTAIRS WHILE YOU ARE UP HERE PARLEYING WITH THIS... DAEMON!"

Teclis could only wave his hand off as he scoffed at another of his brother's worries.

"Oh come now, that's barely a signicant time frame. You know I'm always busy up here in my tower. Besides he is the very reason why King Finubar gave me such important tasks."

"And what were those tasks, I wonder?" Tyrion dryly asked, barely hiding his outrage at him.

"For one, to find this knight known as the Doom Slayer, as you can plainly see." Teclis raised a thumb and pointed back to the Slayer as he answered. "The other, to bring back Malekith to stand trial for his actions."

Tyrion looked at his brother with the most flabbergasted expression Teclis had ever seen in his life. Especially in regards to the second.

"Those? Those are the tasks that our king had given you?" Tyrion questioned.

"One of them worked, so yes." Teclis quipped. Much to his brother's groaning. Hayden, it seems, decided to jump in on the conversation.

 _ **"If I may ask, Teclis, who is this man? And what is the relationship do you have with him? If you don't mind filling us in."**_ Hayden asked.

"Ah, forgive us for bringing you in this family drama." Teclis started. "This is Prince Tyrion. Heir of Aenarion, Dragon of Cothique, Champion of the Everqueen, Defender of Ulthuan... and my brother."

Teclis could hear his brother groaning in annoyance about the last bit but remained silent. Hayden, on the other hand, was far more cordial.

_**"Greetings, Prince Tyrion. I deeply apologize for our unintended arrival. We were unaware of your deceased king downstairs. And for that, our deepest condolences."** _

While a sincere gesture on Hayden's part, Doom Slayer just stared at the two Asur with complete apathy. Still, a simple nod was all they got. Much to Tyrion's chagrin.

"I thank you. But on to business." Teclis picked up a chair that had been overturned by the summoning and sat on it. "Before I was so pointlessly interrupted, I had summoned you here for the very task of eliminating an all-consuming threat that is pushing throughout the realms at this very moment. Chaos."

 _ **"And what is 'Chaos' that you speak of? Your brother here accused us of serving them as a cursed relic."**_ Hayden remarked.

"The same type of threat that you've been fighting on your world. Demons." Teclis mentioned. Just the mere mention of them was enough to cause the Slayer to clench his fists, as the sorcerer had noticed.

_**"I believe you have our attention."** _

Teclis smiled in relief and soon continued.

"Before you had arrived, King Finubar had come to my tower with two tasks. As mentioned before; the first was you, and the second was to bring Malekith to the Phoenix Court to be tried. As you can see, the first was a complete success."

 ** _"There seems to be a 'but' in this, isn't there?"_** Hayden deduced. Which was not entirely inaccurate.

"I am afraid that is correct." Teclis reluctantly agreed. "The second task is far from simple. For you see, Malekith is-

"Malekith is a MONSTER!" Tyrion interrupted in an outburst. "He is a slaver, a tyrant, and a murderer! For thousands of years, he is attacked and raided the shores of Ulthuan along with other lands just to reclaim his place as Phoenix King! He rules the land of Naggaroth with an iron fist! Along with his wretched mother, Morathi!"

Tyrion paused until his brother had calmed down.

"What my brother speaks true. Malekith is a powerful druchii. One who combines both magic and ferocity by tenfold. He is not someone we could bring in, peacefully. He will no doubt fight with every ounce of fire in him." Teclis explained only to see Doom Slayer tilt his head in confusion.

 _ **"You'll have to excuse him, but we're not quite familiar with these names and terms you throw at us. Keep it to a minimum."**_ Hayden clarified.

"Ah, I nearly forgot that you are not of this world. You are in Ulthuan, home of the Asur - or High Elves in the human tongue - and the Druchii - the Dark Elves - live in Naggaroth; north of where we are. To simply put, we are a divided people with differing philosophies." Teclis explained in the shortest way he could describe.

_**"Which means you need him to bring this... 'witch-king' back here, correct?"** _

"In a way, yes." Teclis replied. "But he needs to be alive so that he could be given trial. Killing him would only hasten the End Times. I ask yo- no, I _beg_ you to bring him alive for the sake of our king's final wishes."

Teclis' pleas were met with only silence again. However, he soon noticed that the Slayer was doing it not of apathy, but studying his character. As if truly judging his soul and motivation. Moments passed, and the Slayer deemed fit to answer.

A respectful nod was all he needed. Teclis sighed in relief.

 ** _"He will agree to your terms."_** Hayden answered. Teclis was content with it, while Tyrion looked stunned.

"You can't be serious..." Tyrion all but said in complete disbelief. "Did you not listen to a word of what we just said?! Malekith is a powerful enemy! And you think you can just drag the Witch-King here without even considering the dangers of heading straight into the Land of Chill?! One does not simply walk into Naggaroth! it is the home to the most vicious and sadistic of our kind! Murderers, rapists, slavers and many more of the worst scum you can possibly imagine! You'll be facing an entire continent even if you bring an army! You are but _ONE_ man against them!"

 _ **"Somehow, I doubt that'll be enough to convince him to reconsider."**_ Hayden dryly responded. It was thhe same dryness that Teclis was known for. And much like Teclis', it had the same effect - if not - more amplified to Tyrion's outrage. Before Tyrion could retort, Teclis decided it was time to end this tirade. He stood back up and stood in between the two.

"Brother, please, there's no need to further escalations than it already has." Teclis reasoned. He sighed in defeat. "What transpired here was unfortunate, I know that. And I will take full responsibility and see that this has been resolved. All I'm asking of you is to have faith in me, once more. Both for Finubar and all of Ulthuan."

Tyrion looked conflicted as always whenever his brother became the voice of reason. Through and through, Teclis always broke though him to see the good they could bring to the world. Yet, this time, he may not be so lucky.

Who was he kidding? It worked as always.

Tyrion grumbled, but agreed no less.

"If what Finubar had given to you is true... then I will allow it. But I can't exactly defend... 'him' and his spirit when they're brought to the Court!" Tyrion responded.

"Then I shall stand by for him as his defendant." Teclis calmly replied.

"Do what you will. But the guards will watch him under lock and key, am I clear?"

"I understand." Teclis answered. Tyrion departed soon after. His voice ringing outside the doors as he taken orders. Teclis turned back to the Slayer, who waited patiently throughout the heated argument.

"I am terribly sorry that you had to witness all of this. Your arrival has been very mis-timed. And I cannot apologize enough for the troubles I heaped on you. But you are welcomed in Ulthuan, in spite of what transpired. I will have you located to a housing where you can rest. However, you will be closely supervised by my brother and his guards for the duration of his stay." Teclis explained in detail.

 _ **"Thank you, Teclis. It was a pleasure doing business with you. It is not the first time he was treated with hostility. Yet I feel that we hold responsible for killing your king. We were not aware he was even here when we arrived."**_ Hayden lamented. Teclis nodded in gratitude.

"I thank you for your gesture, but there's no need for it. King Finubar believed that the Slayer holds the key to saving our world. Doing so will alleviate the burden."

Slayer silently nodded. Teclis gestured the both of them to follow him back downstairs.

"Shall we?" Doom Slayer needn't respond. Only walked when he did.

"I have a feeling that we will get along just fine."

* * *

_Later i_ _n Eataine..._

Tyrion was livid with Teclis' recent disaster.

Not only did he had to break the news of his long-time friend's passing to both the Phoenix Court and the Everqueen, his brother was now playing host to that savage and his spirit!

The thought of Teclis consorting with the beast made his blood boil.

Did he honestly believe that his "guest" could seriously bring back Malekith in one piece? If it was his head, Tyrion would doubt less, but alive? Not a chance that'll ever happen!

But here he was! Riding with the rest of his entourage of guards with his brother riding beside him. The body of Finubar was carried in a cart hidden with Teclis' magic, disguised as a wagon full of supplies. But that did not sway his worries.

The spirit within the stranger was exchanging his foul words to his brother in public. Without shame!

The audacity!

He knew Teclis can be curious of the outside world, but this? This was an affront to Ulthuan! Asuryan was damning his soul by now for this sacrilege! He just knows it!

It was fortunate that he had enough guards to keep an eye on the stranger. Yet he probably wished he brought more. Taking a glance, he could sense the stranger was more than capable of taking all eight at once. Even the guards were growing tense as the void in his helmet revealed eyes that were in a perpetual state of anger. One snap would've been enough to break their resolve despite years of discipline instilled in them.

How lucky was it that Teclis had summoned a portal to shorten their travel. They were in Eataine as of now, and it was rather depressing to know that it won't be the same with Finubar out of the picture. It was still night as usual, which Tyrion was thankful for since none of the citizens were awake at this hour. Yet, even with the illusion on, had it been daytime, the crowd would be in riot and the Court would be at each other's throats on who would become the next king.

He expected Teclis to do better than this. Yet, time and time, fate has told him that his brother would always be right in the darkest hours. But for how long could he keep this up? Explaining to the Court that Finubar died in Teclis' tower only to have this hulking behemoth appear right after would've brought him under massive scrutiny.

Whatever tricks his brother had, he better use them all.

Shifting his thoughts, he looked to the scenery around him. They had just passed several vineyards and were about to set foot in Lothern. The sight of its gates were one of many marvels that Ulthuan had been known for. And that was merely scratching the surface. Inside was perhaps the most bustling city that the Island had ever boasted. Many of its dwellers were comprised of not just Asur, but also humans and dwarfs. It's placement near the waters made it a mercantile cosmopolitan; where trade and commercial goods were the norm, and many facets of life can co-exist without fear and prejudice. Tyrion was never one to show much care for the latter two races - showing his preference towards fellow Asur - he respected Finubar's policies and efforts to repair and improve relations with the outside world.

Something that Eataine must live without. And with his friend long passed from this world, he would soon have to take up the mantle as Eataine's ruler. Along with maintaining the relations that he once looked down upon.

Arriving at the gates, the guards overlooking the passage recognised their liege and soon opened the gates for him and his company.

Home, sweet home.

* * *

_Lothern_

_The City Gates - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim OST_

Doom Slayer was never much into the architecture in most cities. But the city he had entered made him appreciate the beauty of the structures.

Despite being night by now, where most folks were asleep, the city of Lothern had its charm.

Towers that reached the skies, cobblestone roads leading to different various places, and a port by the sea that showed several merchant ships moored nearby, and a hundred shops or more where trade could be made.

It reminded him of Argent D'Nur, or perhaps a city on Earth. From a time before Hell's invasion. How regretful it was to know that this will be just one of many ready to be besieged by a malevolent force.

The company stopped as they arrived at their destination. A parliament building made from what was presumably white marble. While beautiful to the truly curious, in the eyes of the Slayer, it was an eye sore. There was not much he can take into detail, save for the architecture resembling that of Gothic Revival-style, and its flags that had the emblems of a blue shield with a red gem at the centre over a white background.

They arrived at the stables and mounted off of their horses. Doom Slayer patted the horse gently to thank it. It had gotten tense when he rode on it but he hoped the pats were enough to calm it. The illusion spell soon dissipated and the guards quickly but carefully carried Finubar's body from unseen eyes. They entered the building, and Tyrion announced his intentions.

"There's a mortuary inside. We'll have to place him there until dawn. Then we will hold a funeral and the Court will answer to it. Not a word gets out of here. If I find out one of you spilled out about this, you can expect a flogging and leave in disgrace without pay! Am I clear?" Tyrion stated. Every guard nodded out of fear and did their duties to avoid the prince's wrath. Doom Slayer watched with amusement as they made careful steps as they carried the King back further in. He soon brought his attention to both brothers.

"While they are gone, I will see to it that you are given shelter for the time being." Teclis suggested. Tyrion could only sneer.

"Tsk! You still treat him like he's a noble. Ought to just throw him in a cell and be done with it."

 ** _"We appreciate the concerns you have, Prince Tyrion."_** Hayden replied. _**"But your brother means well."**_

"Don't even think of poisoning me with your words, spirit!" Tyrion retorted. He left the two in anger, leaving Teclis to sigh in disappointment. Leaving out of earshot, Hayden spoke much to the Slayer's annoyance.

_**"Family drama can be quite a burden at times. Believe me, I have seen my fair share of it.** _ _**"** _

"Aye, but he means well. Always there for me when I was in a bit of rut. Whenever I fell down, he always picked me back up again. But I have placed too much on his shoulders, and the coming days will see to that." Teclis reflected on. He then gestured the two to follow him.

"If you'll follow me." Doom Slayer walked alongside him. The two exited the parliament and walked through the many districts that populated Lothern. Behind the two were a couple of guards currently tailing them.

"My brother's men have been instructed to keep an eye on you, Slayer. I hope there's no hard feelings between us." Doom Slayer shaked his head in response.

 _ **"Your brother has every right to do so."**_ Hayden agreed. _ **"We are strangers in this world. Can't convince him to change his mind, otherwise."**_

"Of that, I'm well-aware." Teclis replied. They continued for another ten minutes before they arrived at what was presumably a luxurious inn. Voices were heard from within, the sounds of boisterous laughter and old tales of nostalgia filled the air. As soon as they entered, however, the sight of their presence had silenced the entire room. The High Loremaster and his guards escorting a strange-looking knight made quite a scene, as it was expected. Although, now that it had occurred to him, Doom Slayer realized that a lot of these patron staring at them were comprised of elves, humans, and dwarves.

He was in a _freaking_ fantasy world.

Granted, Teclis did mention "elves", he just wasn't paying much attention to all of that exposition he had to sit through. But still, it was something out of The Demon's Scroll VI: Slayerborn. Teclis walked up to the innkeeper; another Asur who had been looking nervously as the loremaster approached.

"I would like a room for one please. Your finest."

"A-At will, my lord!" The innkeeper hastily went under the counter, and took out a pair of keys before leading them upstairs.

* * *

The room was large and lavish. Full of marble and and pristine stone, it boasted some of the finest furniture the inn had to offer and catered only to the wealthiest. Maybe not for a king, but definitely for a minor noble or wealthy merchant. The innkeeper was doing his best not to be overly excited by Teclis' appearance, which was rather hard to do since the sight four important looking men were really nerve-wrecking.

"Thank you, innkeeper." Teclis said in gratitude. "Put this on my tab, will you? I believe this is where we part ways."

"O-Of course, milord!" The innkeeper soon left in haste, closing the door behind. Teclis look to the guards.

"Remain outside while I part words with the man before my leave." The guards did as ordered, and awaited outside of the room. Teclis quickly made a hand gesture and a dome surrounded both men.

"You'll have to forgive the magic, but I've neglected some important details back at the tower. Details that none must know until it has been done."

Teclis sighed heavily, but Doom Slayer, and presumably Hayden, waited patiently for the spilled secrets.

"I didn't lie when I begged of you to retrieve Malekith. However, what I've failed to mention were the reasons for it." Teclis then looked straight into through Doom Slayer's visor.

"I need him alive so that he may be put through the Flame of Asuryan. So that he may become Phoenix King."

Doom Slayer could only clench his fists in anger at more secrets, but held back to allow the Asur to explain further. Teclis noticed and carefully thought of the next words before speaking. How fortunate of Hayden to speak his mind.

 _ **"What you are asking is of grave consequence. It will be a blow to your people. Your brother said it himself, he is a 'slaver, tyrant, and murderer.' Loud and clear, in fact."**_ Hayden repeat. Teclis' face soured with the reminder.

"I know, Hayden. And I wish to see him be brought to justice as much as my people!" Teclis exclaimed, before calming down. "But by doing so, I would break my promise to Finubar. And besides that, I had tried to find the answers elsewhere. All of them either futile... or require sacrifices. Sacrifices that I will _not_ bring myself to do."

Teclis looked back at him with regret. "I know what you are. _Who_ you are. And I won't make the pretenses that the limited choices I had before your arrival would've brought the world to shame because of my actions. You _are_ the only person who could perhaps do the impossible. You are the only one who stands between the world and Chaos. I could ill afford to allow myself to do the things only the most monstrous could."

Doom Slayer studied him carefully. He had been listening to his words since he pleaded. That was always an early sign of manipulation. Second sign was knowing what he was, then the "using everything in his powers" speech. All too much like Hayden.

He learned a lot from the doctor, and the bastard was lucky enough to not be placed on his shitlist of people he's killed. Right behind demons, Khan Maykr, the Hell Priests, and Olivia Pierce. He let it slide, however, due to his resourcefulness and enough of a heart to fight for home. For the time being, of course.

However, seeing the Asur's eyes, there was never an ounce of lying. No manipulations, no cheating, no cutthroating. Only cold honesty and bitter truth. In response, he relaxed his shoulder. Hayden - to his credit - spilled some of his beans.

_**"You have my empathy. I, too, would do the same for my world. Unfortunately, the sacrifices I made for the betterment of Mankind was pointless... and far more sinister than I had bargain for."** _

Doom Slayer did empathise as well. However, the difference between him and Hayden had the same distance between the Sun and Pluto. Still, he appreciated the Asur's honesty. Teclis could only look on in surprise, but a small smile was enough to give him composure.

"Thank you..." Teclis said, gesturing his hand once more to remove the dome. "We'll discuss this further another time. Away from prying ears. I will escort you by next morning to attend the funeral. For now, enjoy your stay."

 _ **"Thank you, Teclis. Have a good night."**_ Hayden replied. The loremaster soon left the room, with only the guards still staying outside the door at Tyrion's behest. Doom Slayer looked and figured what his next steps would be.

 _ **"Might as well rest up now. Can do no wrong for such."**_ Hayden suggested. There was a truth to that. Doom Slayer decided to take a look over the balcony and witnessed the best scenery for a long time.

The lights dazzling in the streets below and the stars ever shining above him. In the skies, he saw two moons. One that was not unlike Earth, except whole again. The other a sickly-green coloured that orbited ominously next to its twin. A strange view, but it was reminiscent of time forgotten.

It was time for bed, Doom Slayer thought. He turned off the lights and proceeded for the comfy-looking bed.

* * *

_Across the Inn_

Kroch Bonepicker watched from a distance as the strange man-thing entered the inn. He had been tracking them since he had entered the city. And there were many surprises he had discovered. From the knife-ear king's death to the odd man-thing coming out of nowhere, he just had to know a lot from them before he reported back. However, Clan Eshin had recieved orders by the Council of Thirteen that they were to eliminate the man-thing that knife-eared wizard had summoned.

And what joy it was that they picked him for this mission.

Kroch had been doing the occasional assassination hits on minor nobles or other ambitious skaven for the past twenty moons. He had grown tired of the miniscule work involved. Poisoning and stabbing in the shadows. All of his targets were practically walking around the corner in the Skaven's view. All he had to do was pull out a knife and run for it.

Yet, he dreamed of rising above his station. He wanted to stand above his peers and became the greatest Skaven assassin from the likes of Deathmaster Snikch. He desired the thought of killing the Emperor Karl Franz or King Thorgrim Grudgebearer. Then, he would have everything he wanted.

Breeders, warpstone drugs, and respect.

So, how excited it was that his target had the most intriguing appearance. He dressed like one of those weird shiny armored men who had terrible accents and even worse egos that enjoyed killing in spare time. Except his armor was very strange even by dwarfen designs. So many things about it would probably be mouth-watering to the dwarfs even. But he'll take it before any could grab with their stubby little paws.

"Must have-take shiny bits for mine-own. Make Kroch look-see better by skaven as great assassin-killer." He squeeked. He spied on the two and saw that they had the shiniest room the inn picked for them. After some chatting with the innkeeper, it was only the knife-ear and stranger man-thing that remained in the room. However, he had to wait as a magic dome covered them both of them. He was frustrated that he was unable to get in a word of anything inside the dome, and probably would've jumped both of them for a quick kill. But waited since it was not ideal to attack a powerful wizard. So he focused on the man-thing instead.

The dome soon disappeared and the elf wizard soon left. Now it was just the man-thing only. Thus, he waited.

* * *

_Later that evening..._

A few hours had passed. By this time, the man-thing would've drifted off to sleep by now.

Kroch made his move. He ran through the roofs and jumped off the balconies and began climbing to where the man-thing was. Reaching the highest balcony of his inn, he slowly climbed to find the door to his room left open. It was a good thing since he didn't have to pick through the lock as he usually. Tedious work, it was. Carefully but slowly, he snuck his way without a single noise. He looked towards his surroundings, before eyeing on the bed. There he was, sleeping like a rat pup. Snoring loudly like a dward. He still had his helmet on for some reason, but he figured he would be prepared for an attack.

Still, not prepared enough to be awake at this moment. Reaching for his warpstone daggers, he relished the moment that came with the kill and plunged his blades deep within the man-thing, after.

Or that what was supposed to happened until the body before him actually exploded with feathers instead of the blood he expected. Confused, he pulled the blanket over to find a pile of pillows bundled up together to look like a body.

Kroch had made two of the biggest mistakes an assassin would ever make. One was not inspecting his target closely to see if he even was asleep. And two, he fell for a trap.

***BANG***

The loudest noise rang through the air. So loud, it must've woke the entire inn and half the city. Kroch witnessed blood splatter all over the walls and bed frame. Except it was his blood that painted the walls red. He felt a sharp pain and lifted a hand over his chest... only to find a hole where his heart used to be. He coughed up blood and fell over to his side. He could hear the footsteps approaching his dying body, and saw his killer before him. He saw the man-thing helmetless standing over him. And never in his twenty moons had he seen so much hatred behind those terrifying gray eyes. The man-thing would look down at the Skaven with utter disgust.

A kick to the door could be heard, but Kroch's last few moments were met with the man-thing's boot pressed into his face, before the his head caved under the pressure of the crushing boot.

* * *

Doom Slayer looked at the thing below his feet. It was a disgusting rat-looking creature that attempted to murder him in his sleep.

Before, he had noticed the faint movement of something in the shadows outside as he looked over the balcony. A lifetime of surviving in Hell and fighting with the Night Sentinels had honed his senses to be sharp enough to detect the faintest dangers ahead of him. He set up a trap to lure in that rat-thing. Which wasn't that much complicated. It was practically a beginner's example that even a child could do.

And the thing completely fell for it!

He was kind of expecting a bit of danger involved but wound up in disappointment. The rat died pretty stupidly.

His super shotgun made one hell of a racket in the inn as the guards kicked down the door behind him. He casually put his helmet on before any of the guards got a closer look.

"What happened?! Do you nee-oh." A guard said, before he realized there was no need to assist Doom Slayer. Both guards looked on in shock to see the man walk away from the corpse of the rat creature. As always, Hayden spoke for him.

_**"I believe we have had a intrusion in our quarters. But don't worry, it's been taken care of."** _

The guards could only stare each other, contemplating on what to do next.

"Th-Then I suppose we will inform the Prince about the attack, then." One of the guards said.

_**"No need. Inform the loremaster in the morning. We'll book another room. Get someone to clean up this mess. Goodnight."** _

On cue, Doom Slayer walked off and the guards moved aside without hesitation. He exited to see a bunch of inn dwellers looking on in shock as the Slayer made his way downstairs.

This time, he was picking one of the more rustic rooms. And place it on Teclis' tab.

* * *

_The Realm of Blood_

Khorne chuckled as one of the the Horned Rat's spawn attempted to murder the Slayer in his sleep.

As if it could ever succeed.

Not a day in, and the Doom Slayer had already left his mark on the world. And the coming days would bring so much glory. Shame that they were on opposite sides, for he would've been a worthy champion. Alas, his hatred for all daemons was very much clear. If admirable.

For some time, he had been rebuilding the skull throne back to its original form, if a bit of a back tracking. Any other time, he would've been royally pissed. But with the Doom Slayer, he gave him an exception.

As he continued rebuilding, two individuals had made their appearance before him.

First was his beloved chosen, Valkia, who walked with the grace of a warrior ready for battle. Her horns flared up with the flames of wrath and her armor and weapons were plain in sight. She was the Eye of the Beholder for the god. Her expressions, however, were that of concern.

The second, however, soured his mood quite a bit.

Archaon. The Everchosen. The latest line of disappointing warlords to ever grace his halls. While Khorne was content with him leading the armies of Chaos, he never found Archaon to be that much worthy in his eyes. The only reason he still lives was because of a pact he made with the other gods that they agreed on picking a warrior outside of the Chaos Horde, where he neither favored any of the Four, yet could cull in their army to attack the rest of the Old World.

He was still displeased but kept up the stoic act.

_**"What do you seek, Everchosen?"** _

**"I seek answers, Blood God."** Archaon demanded. Khorne was slightly infuriated by his tone, but let it pass for now.

**_"Find answers elsewhere, little man. I hear Tzeentch's circle is always available to your needs."_ **

**"I would have done that earlier but his followers have been babbling worse than mad men. Along with every follower of Nurgle and Slaanesh."**

_**"Pity."** _Khorne carelessly replied. _**"Tzeentch has always been the talkative one. And as you can see, I am very much preoccupied with other things."**_

"W-What happened here, my love? Why has your throne collapsed?" Valkia sincerely asked with a soft tone.

 _ **"Nothing to worry about, my dear."**_ Khorne affectionately replied. _**"Needed a little touch up, that's all."**_

 **"And what about my concerns?"** Archaon questioned in irritation. **"Nearly a quarter of my army is barely left standing, while the rest go insane from some sort of illness! You, of all the Gods, are the only one who's been stable as your Khornates show! Never have I seen such organization from the likes of you!"**

Khorne was beginning to get angry at the increased tone. But with some effort, he was able to hold on a bit longer.

 _ **"Mind your tongue, boy."**_ Khorne warned, without even so much as looking back. _**"You may be the Everchosen, but I am a God of Chaos. One more insult, and you will lose my favour - along with my followers - leaving you to deal with the others. As you have said, they have gone madder than mad men. Care to push further?"**_

Khorne could sense Archaon was fuming underneath his helmet. The Everchosen was about ready to lash out, but decided to wisely bite his tongue. Valkia, gave a mere scornful glance towards her companion, not approving of his demeanour in front of her paramour. She then spoke up in turn to try and reason with him.

"My love, he does speak true of our army's current morale. We do seek the answers but you are the only one who knows what's happening. The other gods... are less than sound to deliver."

Khorne could only catch his breath and turned to look at Valkia with genuine affection.

 _ **"There is... a new arrival. In Ulthuan."**_ He answered. _**"A warrior. Beyond this realm. He has made a distinction by claiming thousands of souls. Demons, in fact. For eons, he has brought reckoning and destruction against the horde. Chaos included.**_

_**We were there when his world was destroyed. The leader of the Horde, Davoth, promised us that he'll share his power, in exchange for our armies. In return, we revelled in our own glory."** _

Both champions listened intently as the words flew out of the God's mouth.

_**"At the time, it was but another world riped for our taking. Destroyed like so many others. The screams of a billion souls were enough to temporarily quell our hunger. Of course, there was a complication. Only one soul remained.** _

_**His name has since been long forgotten but was a very determined one. Always fighting to the last breath. The demons thought he'd eventually tire out and attempted to kill him from time to time. But no matter how many of their numbers they threw at him, he would come back up bruised and bloodied... and win. His hatred proved to be strong against the horde, and it made demons frarBad enough that we had to send in our own. Didn't stick, quite frankly."** _

Khorne shortly reminisced of the Slayer's work, taking a brief break from talking before continuing.

**_"I'll admit, he had my respect - as did the others - but by then he was insignificant to us. Even when he killed scores of our legion, he was... wasted potential. But as he kept killing, the Demons had lost complete control of trying to get rid of him. So bad that he wound up trapping himself in Hell for a brief period. Sensing weakness, we turned on them and left to fend for themselves. But by then, I missed him."_ **

Valkia looked at him pleasantly as he told his story. Archaon, on the other hand, became impatient and would've interrupted had Khorne's Bride not give him another scornful glance. The Everchosen grumbled and kept his mouth shut until the end.

_**"It wasn't until we arrived on the realm of Argent D'nur - right around when our old 'associates' returned - did we finally meet again. And then, did his potential become... greater. Before, he fought like an animal. Always sluggish and sloppy in his techniques, I would've found him unworthy of my time. But his time spent with the Argenta had made him the perfect killing machine. His anger, no longer an uncontrolled blaze, instead was replaced with controlled hatred. Thousands of legions had fallen at his hands with great ferocity and unmatched skill. We sent titans and champions in an attempt to break him and destroy his new home in the process... but no.** _

_**His resolve was unbreakable. His will indomitable. Rage... perfected. And soon, the demons feared him. And then... to us. He has caused quite a nightmare for everyone of us. As we speak, Tzeentch is screaming his head out; Nurgle is crying himself with snot and drool flooding out of his tear ducts; and Slaanesh... well, She has been unresponsive. Best we don't speak about hir feelings. As for my myself? Heh. Rejoiced to see his return."** _

So far, Archaon lost all of his anger and was instead replaced with fascination. A man who the put the fear in gods? That stirred his mind quite well. Valkia, on the other hand, was nothing more than astonished to hear of such a legend. Yet, fearful of what he was capable of. Still, the Everchosen remained curious.

**"What is his name? If I may ask."**

Khorne sighed when asked.

_**"As I said, his name is long forgotten. But the demons gave him many. The Unchained Predator, The Hellwalker, Hell's Bane, The Hound of Argent D'Nur... but only one stood out among many. One named by the Argenta themselves... Doom Slayer."** _

As he said it, many of the Bloodletters shivered and cowered in fear at the name. While Bloodthirsters hissed and cursed his name. Something neither of the two champions had ever predicted. Khorne finally had enough and finished his words.

_**"The Doom Slayer now walks among us. So intent of annihilating our hold in this world that fear has gripped the others with terror. Be wary of him, and do not underestimate his power. Where ever He goes, Death follows."** _

Archaon, feeling satisfied with the answer recieved, bowed in respect.

**"I thank you, master. I humbly apologise for being rude. Your wisdom has been greatly needed."**

_**"Tsk. Don't be. Think on what I've said. Death awaits for the foolish. Return to your army, for they are without a leader."** _

**"As you will it, master."** Archaon turned his back and departed from the realm; returning to the Old World. Valkia was about to leave as well, but Khorne stopped her from doing so.

_**"Valkia, I must ask you to stay. For a bit, at least."** _

His bride looked on with confusion and worry.

"Is something wrong, my love? If you'd like I can stay here an-" Khorne raised his hand and stopped her worries. His form changed to that of a great warrior in human form. His armor ever gleaming and face, strong as a mountain and bearded as the snow at the peak. His smile warmed her just as he caressed her cheek with one hand.

_**"There is nothing you should concern yourself with. Fear is what our enemy understands. Not you."** _

"But the way you describe the Slayer... he represents an anathema... to the glory that is you... and the wretched that are the other gods... you know that is something I cannot just wash away from memory."

His smile revealed a tinge of sadness as she spoke. Out of everything that wasn't blood and war, she was the one that he had grown attached to the most. Since her birth, her devotion to him gave new life inside that he had never predicted. It was different to all that he experienced. And something he would never admit. Especially Slaanesh. But he did his damndest to be as caring as he could. He looked her in the eyes, and spoke.

_**"I cannot change what is in your mind, but remember that I am not a mortal. My domain is in War. It is to be expected that I must express what I represent and I have nothing to fear against him... w** _ _**hich is why you must never face him, head on."** _

Valkia could looked on in shock at what he requested. Khorne was the God of War and Blood. And he requests her to flee from this man? This... Slayer? It was unthinkable! She wanted to protest and rebel at the thought.

"My beloved, that is unthinkable! Why woul-"

_**"I know what I said contradicts before. I do not fear him for I am War itself. But for you... that is different. You have no idea what he is capable of. Promise to never face him head on..."** _

A thousand emotions were screaming inside her. So many things that she could have been said from her. But she relented, and looked at him solemnly.

"...If that is your request, then I shall obey your will, husband." She accepted. Khorne smiled, if only sullen for his request.

_**"Good. Do return to this realm when you have the chance. Your presence has been oft longing around here."** _

"I will, my love." Valkia looked back at him again, one more time before leaving.

Now, Khorne was left to his own device. Figuring out which skull to place next.

* * *

_Chaos Wastes_

Valkia returned to the Old World, right after the worrying experience in Khorne's realm.

Did the Gods truly fear this man? What makes him so terrifying that they themselves cannot fight on their own? And is there a way to even stop him from murdering her greatest love?

So many questions raced in her mind that it was hurting her. She quicked shaked the feeling off and returned to the others.

Archaon was awaiting at the top of the hill of where he oversaw the entire army. Much had been quieted down after the huge wave of madness. Now, everything has been calmed for the time being. Tzeentch's followers were still raving but have mostly kept to isolating themselves; Nurglites were quiet and stopped crying but stayed eerily stiff to the point most of the Warriors just thought they were dead... and stayed away from them as usual. Slaaneshi, however, were practically restrained in chains and struggled in futile to release themselvess. They've been trying to scream even as their mouths were gagged with cloth, with some biting their own tongues off just to release themselves from the pain.

Only the Khornates and Chaos Warriors were left to their own idle hands. It was quite strange to see the Followers of Khorne doing... normal work. She had seen several of them chatting and minding their own business like they had just taken a break from working the fields. Even the Chaos Warrior were relatively freaked out by this new developement and wished they would just go back to going berserk. Given Khorne's demeanour, it was indeed odd, she thought.

She walked up to him and awaited his orders.

"Everchosen, shall we wait until the Chaos are back in order? Or do you wish to continue as planned?" She asked. Archaon stayed silent, barely registering her appearance.

 **"... It is strange to hear the Gods being so afraid."** He started, causing Valkia to raise an eyebrow **"Since their birth, none have been opposed save for the likes of Sigmar or Aenarion or whatever martyrs the Southerners praise these days. Chaos grows strongers while their gods grow weaker... until now. And only one man was able to do all of this just by stepping into our world."**

Archaon pointed a hand into the crowd below

"What are you getting at, Archaon?" Valkia questioned, accusatively.

**"What I'm getting at is that there's a being more powerful than Chaos itself, and it could rival them not unlike Sigmar. If that is true, then he must be dealt with, immediately."**

"But what of the army? Most of them can barely hold themselves together without pissing themselves in the middle of a march!"

 **"No... but the Khornates seem just fine enough."** Archaon turned back to Valkia with a neutral expression. **"We will continue our plans as scheduled. Gather your troops and march them off to Naggaroth. Then you will bring me the head of this... 'Doom Slayer' that the Gods fear so much about in Ulthuan. We are done here."**

Valkia struggled on whether to obey her husband's or the Everchosen, but decided to choose the latter, for it was not worth worrying about.

"As you wish, Everchosen." She bowed in respect and walked back to the Khornates.

Valkia continuously wondered about the Doom Slayer. What could he possibly be to make himself the nightmare of Gods?

She was already heading towards Alfheim after dealing with the Dark Elves, so it couldn't be that bad... could it?

_To be continued..._


	3. Cloaked in Shadow

_Ancient Stones_ _\- Skyrim OST_

_Lothern_ , _Ulthuan_

Doom Slayer awoke from his rest in his room. It was less a sleep and more a meditative nap. The perks of being blessed by the Seraphim made him incapable of feeling neither hungry nor tired. He very much could go on without any basic needs. Hell, pissing was no longer necessary. Though, he occasionally took enjoyment in the minor activities if he had the chance. Just one flex, and he could do it instantly.

Since last night, the attempted assassination had gotten the inn residents on edge. The guards were pretty quick to get rid of the body before any witnesses had come in. Although, based on the hushed reactions from everyone and Hayden's diagnosis on the body, he may have stumbled upon a species of "rat-like" beastmen.

Whatever that meant to him.

Still, such rumors that made a fuss around the inn could bring potential intel now that he was here. At the cost of alienating some of the inn's patrons. Whatever the hell their reasons were.

Hopefully, Teclis would be there to vouch for him.

Doom Slayer stood up from his bed and stretched. It had been a long time since he had rested before. His head felt lighter and more relaxed but was still mentally prepared as always. He looked to his surroundings to find himself in a more spartan but homely room just below the VIP area. He kept his Praetor armor on except for his helmet and shoulder cannon, to which he equipped back both on.

 ** _"Rise and shine."_** Hayden dryly greeted. **_"We have work to do."_**

_*Knock-knock*_

Doom Slayer walked towards the door of his room and opened to reveal a guardsman standing in front of the doorway.

"Prince Teclis is here to see you. He has been informed of last night's incident."

 ** _"_** ** _Thank you. We'll be heading out now."_** Hayden responded. The guard stepped aside as the Slayer went downstairs to meet up with Teclis. It only took two minutes for them to spot Teclis sitting at one of the tables. The Loremaster sighed in relief but revealed hints of worry when approaching. Among the patrons, news of the King's death had spread like wildfire and caused no shortage of sadness for the people. While Teclis assured that it was not his fault, Doom Slayer felt slight regret and wondered if it was true. Still, paying respect to the deceased would at least bring him some manner of peace.

"Greetings, Slayer. I had hoped your evening wasn't too troublesome. I heard what happened and I deeply apologize for not putting enough precautions."

 ** _"Apologies for what? Being attacked? Hardly an issue he could standby."_** Hayden remarked. **_"But that's not something you should concern yourself. I believe there's a funeral we should be attending now."_**

"Still, my concerns are very much on high alert. Especially in regards to the assassin in question." Teclis replied, lowering his voice to a sudden. "But I can't speak further, not while in public."

 ** _"Lead the way."_** Teclis gestured the two to follow them. They were led outside to see the once quiet city bursting with noise and a diverse scenery full of various races coming together. The streets crowded with merchants and cheerful folk as he assessed. Some looked into the direction of the Slayer as exited. Many were curious as usual, Doom Slayer not surprised by this when he entered the city. Many eyed at his armor; dwarves especially were fascinated by it. However, guards soon gathered around them before they could approach him. An eloborate carriage soon stopped in front of them, with Teclis looking back.

"Tyrion has made arrangements to transport us to the funerary rites... of course, if you'd like, I can simply use my magic to merely shorten our distance. And considering you are mute, just place your fingers up. One for carriage, two for magic." Teclis explained before waiting patiently for Doom Slayer's answer. Doom Slayer thought for a moment before placing a finger up. Hayden answered as if to read his thoughts out."

 ** _"I think he wants to enjoy the scenery for a bit, Teclis."_** Hayden remarked. Teclis shrugged.

"Fine by me. I can't blame you for being curious of Ulthuan. Lothern is one of many wonders the island has to offer. Come, perhaps we can discuss more about each other on the way."

Both elf and man took their seats and enjoyed the scenery around them.

* * *

**_Some alley_ ** **_..._ **

Feliceth watched as the strange knight left with the loremaster outside of the inn. The two had taken to riding on a royal carriage and possibly towards the king's funeral. She had been watching them both since they entered the inn. The incident upstairs rattled quite a lot of people, even for her. When he came down, he booked another room after.

As it turns out, a skaven had attempted to assassinate him while he was asleep. It didn't go well if the bloody sack the guards were pulling outside was to go by. Something about his aura felt overwhelming and heavy to her. The air grew cold and unwelcoming whenever he appeared. His posture and movement being angry and intimidating. And behind his helm were eyes full of hatred and bloody vengeance. The only thing that seemed out of place was his voice. It seemed... monotone for someone built like a daemonic stallion. Still, the deep baritone made up for the oddness. Whoever he was, she was certain that she needed to get out unless she wanted to be in the crossfire.

It may have been the paranoia talking, but something about him felt off. Something... **primordial**. She quickly fled the scene and went back to her hideout.

It was only a few blocks from where she resided in and it was a good place to hide... for a noble. While not much in a way to be considered a squalor, the housing was inconspicuous to prying eyes and relatively clean to live in. Still, she missed having slaves beckoned to her every whim when she was living in her family's household. But for now, it will just have to do.

Arriving at her 'home', which was a two story building that was isolated from the more crowded streets of Lothern, she scrounged for her keys and quickly entered. Locking behind with additional chains, she sighed in relief for her own safety.

She fled back upstairs to her room, and locked behind even further. With her thoughts alone, she could finally figure things out. Her next step was to get out of this island without suspicion and then-

 _"Having trouble, my dear?"_ Feliceth frozed in place as she recognized the frosty tone coming from behind. While not the most daemonic sound - in fact, it was quite pleasant to listen to - the words that had come out dripped with venom behind a sultry voice. She slowly turned around to see that her mirror's reflection was replaced with the visage of the most powerful sorceress since before the Sundering.

Morathi. The Hag-Sorceress of Ghrond herself.

And upon her beautiful face drew a scowl.

* * *

_Moments ago..._

_Tower of Prophecy, Naggaroth_

_Disobey - Oddko_ _/Tainted Love - Marilyn Manson_

Morathi sat idly on her throne as she waited impatiently for news from outside of Naggaroth. Her servants had reverted back to their usual states. Most of them, at least. Some were less fortunate and died horrifically in terrible and mutated states. And few were taken in by Druchii enforcers to be... "interrogated". It made her irritable to say the least, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

The slaves at her feet yearned for her attention as they lounged lazily on the floor under the influence of ecstacy and narcotics running in their veins. One kissed her foot in an attempt to appease her mistress. She was met with a shove from her foot into the face, causing her to yelp as she fell on her back. Morathi could only laugh at the girl's little mishap. She stood up from her seat and walked along the corridors of her tower. Several slaves and servants looked up to her with undying reverance as she passed by them.

She was the Hag-Sorceress of Ghrond; Mother of the Witch-King and of the Druchii. All shall love her and despair wherever she walks. And right now, she was in considerable mood to start moving the pieces on the board. She had sent messages, premonitions and even death threats to her spies all over to bring back reports on any of the latest activity. Especially with the recent phenomena that occured last night.

Morathi reached for one of the rooms on the left side. Here, could she conduct her rituals without distractions. The room was used to commit both blood rituals and oversee the world. At the center of it, was a pool meant for cleansing purposes but also to spill blood to rejuvenate her youthful appearances. However, she had her sights on the crystal ball that had been held in place further on the other face of the room. She glided above the pool and stood before the crystal ball. Placing her hand on the smooth but reflective surface, she began scrying and searched for her answers.

Visions began flooding in her mind. Thousands upon thousands swarmed her very conscious. Dangerous it may have been to the uninitiated, but to the Hag-Sorceress, they were nothing more than a slight migraine. However, there were clear images of disorder and anarchy around the world. Many of which involved Chaos and its minions slowly descending into madness in the same vein as her Pleasure Cult followers. Massive infighting and an influx of insanity plagued the minds of every cultists. For the Hag-Sorceress, it intrigued her no doubt for while she may be in league with the followers of the Serpent, Morathi saw it beneficial to abandon Hir out of sheer self-preservation should the need arise. Just what caused this phenomena is the question.

Indulging in the thought of going into her greatest enemy's territory, she started in Ulthuan. She scoured her sights on the spies supplanted themselves there on both her and Malekith's orders. If the Asur had something special, then she will surely get her hands on it before they could. If she sees something she likes, then she will have it as desired.

Scrying more, she finally sets her sights on one individual.

Feliceth of House Mournheart. Daughter of minor nobility, and one of Morathi's playthings. And from what she can see in the golden-haired girl, she was hurrying to the safety of her home. From what? She'll get her claws, soon enough.

Calling her through the orb, she made her presence clear in the girl's mirror, just as she entered her room.

"Having trouble, my dear?" Morathi started as she announced herself. The girl jumped in fright as she heard the frosty tone of her superior. She slowly turned to see Morathi in all her glory and looked with widened eyes before prostrating herself to the floor in front of her.

 _"M-Mother Morathi!"_ Feliceth stuttered as she did her best to welcome her mistress. Morathi simply looked on bemused as the morsel stroke her ego. Feliceth looked back up to her properly eexplain herself.

_"T-This is a most unexpected visit! I did not kno-"_

"Silence, little one." Morathi firmly ordered. The girl quickly and obediently shut herself up soon after. The Hag-Sorceress smiled and continued on all the while looking at her own nails.

"I have been... _anxiously_... waiting for any news of the outside world, and yet, recieved so little information from any of you. Those who bring me trivial news will understand what happened when I'm disappointed..." Morathi then turned her gaze towards Feliceth with cold blue eyes staring through her soul. "Tell me, Feliceth; will you disappoint me?"

Feliceth quickly shaked her head in fright. _"N-No, Mother Morathi! I serve you willingly and bring news for your ears only!"_

"That remains to be seen..." Morathi dryly replied. "Go on, speak. You're free to speak loudly as well. I have made incantations to make the room soundproof. So spill freely."

Feliceth carefully thought of her next words and spoke up.

_"The Phoenix King, Finubar, has been pronounced dead. The Asur princes have set up a funeral and the-"_

"What?!" Morathi paused her as she heard the news in shock. The Phoenix King was dead? How? When? And why was she hearing this now? Morathi's mood changed to outrage.

"When did he die? And how?!" Morathi demanded.

_"He died last night! But no one knows how!"_

"And you bring me news of this now?!" Morathi's voice grew louder in anger of the belated news. Her magic was glowing brighter in response and Feliceth began panicking as she realized that she unintentionally slighted her mistress.

 _"W-Word of his death was announced a quarter of an hour ago! It is the truth, I swear!"_ She pleaded.

"You dare spill more excuses word after word?! I have had enough of this! You'll be of good use as red paint on the walls!"

 _"Wait! There's more!"_ The poor girl cried out. Morathi stayed her hand at the last second, merely within a flick of a finger to splat the girl's innards inside-out. She stayed silent on the matter, before making her judgement.

"Speak." Morathi coldly ordered. The girl slowly calmed herself down as she found her voice.

 _"...I-I saw the High Loremaster of the White Tower being accompanied by a strange man in even stranger armor. He seemed to be some sort of mercenary. Intimidating to look, even."_ Feliceth explained. Morathi's hand glowed with magic a bit brighter, causing the girl to reel back in horror.

 _"But he looked so different to everyone! And strange about him! He even killed an assassin in his sleep from what I remember! Please! That's all I know!"_ Feliceth pleaded. Morathi was, at this point, a little skeptical but let her slights be put aside in favor of digging through the girl's mind. She held back her power afterwards. She gestured her to come closer.

"Step forward, child of Naggaroth, and place your hand on the mirror. So that I may look through your memories." She commanded. The girl slowly raised hers and touched the surface of the reflection, allowing the Hag-Sorceress to channel her powers. Moments later, she saw the recent memories flowing through her.

And what she witnessed was... _allur_ _ing_.

Morathi saw the strange man in all his glory, and her heart _slightly_ skipped a beat. He stood tall and proud like one of the northern barbarians, but wore something that was neither heavy nor unwieldy, and definitely not ugly to look to look at if his armor was to go by. Smooth and utilitarian in its design. Only his biceps were the only things left exposed and by the gods, and she could just feel the strength in those arms. She could see the glare behind that exposed helm of his and it would make Khaine proud for carrying such a murderous gaze. Even the way he carried himself was that of a hardened warrior. Everything about him spoke of power and dominance... and she wanted him in her harem. She could just imagine this man rut her like a beast in heat; his hands gripping around her neck while he pounded her into submission.

Oh, if she could get her claws on him, it would make her day.

Satisfied with the source laid before her she quickly let go of her grip on the girl's soul. Feliceth awaited for her mistress' judgement, fearing of what fate she will recieve soon after. Morathi's lips gave a predatory smile as she set the stones for her next plans.

"Well, you certainly have proven yourself useful, after all." She complimented, causing Feliceth to sigh in relief. Morathi soon put on a stoic expression after.

"However, you will prove it further by spying this... knight, wherever he goes. I heard he was attending Finubar's funeral, yes?" Feliceth nodded quickly to Morathi's joy.

"Good. Find out who he is, and what are his reasons for affiliating with the High Loremaster. Am I clear?"

"Yes, mistress!" Feliceth complied.

"Excellent. Oh! And one more thing; should you ever get caught, you'll be on your own after. Try to run - and I will know - I will make good promise on my early threat..." Morathi warned. Feliceth could only gulp in worry, but nodded quickly.

"Good, off you go!" Morathi waved off and disconnected herself from the girl's location. She could just feel the girl relieving herself from the intense conversation she put her through. Quite thrilling and it keeps the servants on their toes.

Though, if memory served, the Loremaster was most likely responsible for the surge of madness stirring up in the Chaos Warriors. If so, then the knight accompanying was definitely no coincidence.

And with the gears shifting in her mind, that'll only mean one thing...

The Dark Prince _._

* * *

_The Realm of Pleasure_

The Pleasure Palace was in terrible conditions by the time things had settled down. The entrance to the Palace was completely obliterated to smithereens; several paintings were torn to shreds; furniture was smashed into pieces; slaves were dead either by the daemonettes or themselves in a fit of madness; and bottles of the strongest elixirs and alcohol were strewn about in the private chambers of the Dark Prince hirself. Hir servants were nowhere to be seen, as Slaanesh had shunned them off elsewhere while She drowned hirself in misery and liquor. She laid on top of her bed as She had the alcohol worked their magic. Yet, no matter how many times she drank, none of them worked. Not even the rivers of Gluttony were able to sate hir thirst despite conjuring the strongest drinks She could think of. Even if She did, it was only temporary, for only the impending doom gnawed at the back of her mind.

The Doom Slayer was here. And She was **fucked** alongside hir brothers.

And not in a good way. In _any_ way, even.

By now, the others were probably going through the same motions like hir. Except maybe Khorne. That idiot seemed to be having a blast by now based on the different energy flowing from his realm. Less angry and more... happy.

That was a first in a long time.

By now, Slaanesh was setting up a bucket list of things She wanted to do before She got a brand new asshole put in place by that monster. Like maybe go sightseeing, meet new people, eat good food, sleep with said new people.

Actually, scratch that. None of those things mattered, either way.

She was fucked _beyond_ relief.

_*Knock-knock*_

A knock from the door stirred her awake, much to her dismay.

 _"What is it?"_ She asked, derisively. The door opened, and Slaanesh threw an empty bottle in anger. The person behind it yelped in surprise.

 _"I DIDN'T FUCKING SAY TO COME IN!"_ She lashed out. The servant behind the door wisely thought best to speak through the door.

"Y-You have a message, Dark Prince! The Hag-Sorceress of Ghrond would like to speak with you!" The servant replied. Slaanesh groaned and proceeded to get up from hir stupor. She pulled out a pink bathrobe and walked towards the door. Opening it revealed a dainty and quivering daemonette. The servant looked on in fear as Slaanesh glared at hir with utter disdain.

 _"And you thought that I would be in the mood to do so? Or that maybe you could've sent a Keeper of Secrets to speak with her in my stead?"_ She questioned. The daemonette could only stare in utter silence, as she tried to think of a proper explanation to hir. Slaanesh simply kicked hir hard in the stomach, launching hir into the air and crashing into a window, before plummeting to a pink grassy area outside of the Palace.

With plenty of broken bones.

But still alive. If barely. The Dark Prince howled in rage afterwards.

 _"IF SOMEONE DARES TO DISTURB ME AGAIN, YOU CAN BET YOUR ASSES THAT I'M PUTTING ALL OF YOU THROUGH SENSORY DEPRIVATION FOR MY AMUSEMENT! AND PLEASE SOMEONE SPEAK TO THAT ELVEN BITCH! I'M NOT AVAILABLE!"_ Slaanesh threatened throughout hir realm, instilling fear in hir servants. Daemonettes and Keepers of Secrets steered clear of hir home but obeyed her every demands. Slaanesh slammed the door to her room and went back to her alcohol-innduced coma.

* * *

_Tower of Prophecy,_ _Ghrond_

Morathi awaited expectantly of her "master" as she stood before the pool. It had been about five or six minutes of waiting impatiently of the daemonette to return with answers. She did find the daemon to be oddly fidgety and quiet. But since she had power over hir and could care less about hir worries, she just brushed it off.

Moments later, an apparition appeared before her. This time it was a Keeper of Secrets. The towering pink hermaphrodite looked at Morathi with a surprisingly tired expression. Heavy bags unded hir eyes and graying hair were quite telling.

 _"Yeah? What do you want?"_ The Keeper rudely asked. Morathi was incensed by the seemingly blunt tone she recieved from an otherwise affable Slaaneshi daemon.

"Mind your tongue, daemon! I am the Hag-Sorceress of Ghrond and you will both address me by my title and acknowledge my power! And I requested to speak with the Dark Prince!" She retorted. The Keeper could only react with apathy at Morathi's claims.

 _"Tsk. You are in no position to make such demands."_ The Keeper replied. _"Our mistress is every bit unavailable as we speak. However, She is... kind... enough to send a representative such as myself to do business with you. So forgive the impolite behaviour. A lot of has been... distressing for all in the Dark Prince's realm."_

Morathi raised an eyebrow at the last words. Was it really that _bad_ in the Chaos realms? She shrugged it off, however, and immediately made requests.

"What can you tell me about the knight in Ulthuan? The one with the High Loremaster in Lothern?" She asked. The Keeper gazed with horror. She leaned in closer and hushed her warily.

 _"SHHHH! Not so loud! Are you insane?! I could get skull-fucked because of your curiosity!"_ The Keeper harshly whispered. Morathi narrowered her eyes with indignation but the Keeper quickly changed her tune and explained carefully.

 _*sigh* "Look, if you really want to know, then so be it."_ Morathi beamed with satisfaction, but the Keeper rolled hir eyes in annoyance.

_"The man you speak of is a dreaded figure among the Realms of Chaos. Uttering his name is enough to terrify the others even from a distance. His reputation truly exceeds even the most legendary figures of the past. Even your... husband."_

While he was never mentioned out loud, Morathi was fuming at the mere mention of Aenarion. He was her most precious memory besides their son, Malekith. So the feeling of his name being insinuated was insulting to her.

"Say his name, and you will **soon** meet him." Morathi threatened. The daemon, however, continued.

_"Fine. Have it your way. Regardless, the man is a titan of ancient pasts. For eons, many of our legions were felled beneath his blade. Forever lost to us in his vengeful crusade. Champions and lords fought with all their might, only to be cut down mercilessly against him. He was the black tide that attempted to swallow us all. But our counterparts, the Legions of Hell, devised a plan to seal him deep within their dark catacombs for an eternity. While it may have been reassuring, Chaos decided that it was better to cut ties and seal ourselves away from them as far as possible."_

"The Legions of Hell? Who are they?" Morathi questioned. She never heard that name before. Nor did she recognise other beings outside of the known Chaos Gods as well.

 _"Old associates of ours. Probably long gone, by now."_ The Daemon simply answered. _"And Chaos was correct in their predictions. And now, we are royally screwed. Mark my words, dear sorceress, the man you are looking into cannot be persuaded, reasoned with, or begged, for he does not care. He is the Scourge of God, and he will bring ruin to all. And even now, the Hordes of Chaos have gone mad. Only Khorne's Chosen remain stable and march onward."_

"The Scourge of... "God", you say? Not gods? Just _a_ god? And what of Khorne." Morathi questioned. The daemon could only shake her head impatiently.

_"There are many gods outside of this mortal realm, Druchii. And few are even more powerful than others. As for Khorne's, well, I can't reveal such..."_

Morathi remained silent, but more and more hungry for the knowledge bestowed upon her. But first...

"Before we go further, you will reveal what of the Blood God's plans. Or your master will be the last person you want to anger." The daemon eyed her, accusatively. But relented, eventually.

_"Fine. The Khornates are coming to attack your lands as we speak. But that wouldn't matter. They will be the least of your problem."_

"Coming from someone who's scared of a bogeyman." Morathi remarked. "Speaking of which, you barely speak of the stranger's name. You speak in riddle and I want a straight answer." Morathi demanded. The Daemon stared at her with obvious disgust.

_"As I said; I cannot say it out loud, for it carries dread for all to hear. However, I have no issue spelling it out. But once done, I will break contact with you for my own safety._ _We **never** had this discussion."_

"Yes, yes, or else your skull will be violated and so forth. Just spill it out already!" Morathi impatiently demanded. The daemon showed no amusement in Morathi's tone.

 _"So be it."_ The daemon said, and then snapped hir fingers immediately after.

 _"Enjoy your search."_ Communication soon broke off as the Daemon vanished from Morathi's sight, and purple magic began glowing in front of sorceress' eyes. The lights soon dissipated and revealed her wall had been carved with writings on it. Only a name.

Doom Slayer.

Morathi's lips curled up with dark joy.

_"My, my, what will I do with you, brave knight?"_

* * *

_Kyne's Peace - Jeremy Soule_

_Lothern, Ulthuan_

The trip had been steady so far. Not exciting but not boring either given the green environment around them. Doom Slayer watched the scenery slowly transition from concrete walls and cobblestone streets to lush green forests and hills as they ascended towards the hilltops above Lothern. Teclis and Hayden kept themselves busy conversing with one another over trivial things like technology, history, and science. Teclis seemed enthusiastic in learning about the humans on Earth, to which Hayden was more than happy to share in exchange for the use of magic. Of course, if Hayden still had his body, Doom Slayer would've been more comfortable riding in silence as he watched the landscape shift around them.

But that wasn't the case, and he was trapped listening to a bunch of nerds talking nerd stuff.

Fortunately, the ride was short, for the horses stopped in their tracks as they arrived at the funeral. They exited out of the carriage and Doom Slayer scanned the building before him.

It was an eloborate cathedral that stood out like a sore thumb. Architecture was styled in Gothic Revival, and done in painstaking detail. The placement of it overlooked the entire city. Like everything in Ulthuan, it was huge. And it was kind of expected for a race of such grandiose.

Elves were elves, really.

Teclis began leading the Slayer along with the guards inside.

"I must admit, Dr. Hayden, you impress me more and more with your knowledge. I daresay, you may have surpassed the College of Magic or the Asur with such an intellect. It would be a valuable asset for the world if you're willing to share it." Teclis remarked.

 ** _"Of that, I can agree. In exchange for the inner workings of magic, of course."_** Hayden replied.

"Those are acceptable terms." Teclis continued to lead them to entrance. A guard greeted in respect.

"Greetings, Prince Teclis. Your brother is expecting you inside. As is the King's family and the princes attending."

"Much appreciated. We'll be heading our way in now." Teclis replied. The men entered and walked the halls as they headed towards the King's final resting place. The halls were vast and gigantic enough that it could have been the home of giants.

However, the atmosphere was very solemn. Silence would have deafened the halls were it not for the footsteps.

The group arrived at before the room that was to be held. Teclis stopped and gestured the guards to leave with just the two of them alone.

"I should probably mention that there'll be a lot of mourners inside. The Everqueen, the King's daughter, my brother, other princes, dwarfen and human ambassadors and plenty of nobles in there. I would suggest of you to remain quiet at this hour, Dr. Hayden. Doom Slayer, of course, is exempted given you are... well, a man of silence." Teclis detailed.

Doom Slayer shrugged while Hayden replied with manners as usual.

 ** _"Understandable."_** Teclis then gestured the guards at the door to allow them passage.

Upon entering, Doom Slayer walked alongside the Prince as they head closer to the seatings. A mourning crowd was entirely focused on their King as (presumably) the priest continued his speech before the two passed the first row.

And then did the silence break.

Just as it did back at the inn, the crowd soon focused their attention on the Slayer's appearance. A lot of heads at the front turned back as they saw him walking alongside the prince, while those behind began whispering about his appearance. Some were fascinated by the designs and a couple of dwarfs wanted to approach him about it later. Others, however, were less welcoming. Accusations of him being an uncouth mercenary were the norm as they moved. And fewer were accusations of him being a Warrior of Chaos. Given how "outlandish" he looked, Doom Slayer took it with a grain of salt.

As they got closer, the princes and what was presumably the Everqueen and her daughter stared at the Slayer like deer in headlights. It was quite comical to see them gaze at him like a new animal placed in a zoo. They all quickly stared back at Tyrion, who was the only one who didn't looked surprise by his brother and his guest's arrival. Instead, his expression was that of outrage and annoyance as before.

Very befitting as warm greetings go.

Teclis guided him towards his guest's seating and left him to be alongside the other princes. The others kept staring at Doom Slayer with apprehension but soon turn their attention to the loremaster himself, and quickly avoided staring at him as Tyrion glared back at the princes. The Everqueen looked at Tyrion with assurance and serenity and all soon focused back to the king laid before them.

And then after, it was full of prayers and sermons and so forth

This was going to be awhile for Doom Slayer.

* * *

_South of the Chaos Wastes, Towards Naggaroth..._

The Khornates and the Chaos Warriors ran down south to where Naggaroth was. Where they will plunder the Dark Elves of their slaves, their riches, and their glory. As promised by the Everchosen.

They have been marching tirelessly since the dead of night as ordered by Valkia the Bloody, who marched alongside them. Acompanying them was the famed Wulfrik the World-Walker and his Norscan raiders. Wulfrik demanded that he accompanied the followers of the Hound in order to seek out battle early. The Everchosen was surprisingly gratious and allowed him to partake in the battle against the Dark Elves. Now, their combined forces was enough to take the Druchii by force and push them towards Alfheim. Once done, it was only a matter of time before the Elves began killing each other for their homeland. Many of the warriors grew eager as they marched closer to their prize.

But for the Gorequeen, this was not enough to sway worried thoughts.

Since leaving the Realm of Blood, Valkia had been contemplating about the dangers ahead. Her husband's warnings occupied her mind, as of late. The dreaded feeling that this individual could potentially stop the Gods blocked all other thoughts.

Yet, history has shown that even the Gods could be afraid. The first Phoenix King known as Aenarion once held a sword said to have brought terror to the Warriors of Chaos in a past age; Nagash the First Necromancer desired to cut the threads from Chaos by turning the world into a realm of the dead; and the first emperor of the weak southerners, Sigmar Heldenhammer, turned the tides against the legions by destroying a Champion of Khorne (along with other feats) and carving out an empire out of it afterwards.

Fortunately, all vanished from the face of this world. Whether dead or simply disappeared to parts unknown, Chaos stood unopposed an enemy without. So naturally, this warrior of unknown origins was simply just another would-be Slayer of Chaos. It should be no problem.

Or could it?

"Something troubling you, Gorequeen?" Valkia's thoughts were broken as the World Walker's voices invaded her private thoughts. Wulfrik looked at her with some concern. Although, he hid it well behind his usual joyful personality as he smiled that wolfish grin of his. Valkia scowled at him for disrespecting her personal space.

"Mind your business, Wulfrik. Concern yourself for your own safety. Would be a waste to destroy your raiders before we arrive because you questioned me." Valkia warned. Wulfrik smirked but backed some distance.

"Just making conversation is all." Wulfrik excused. "Besides, you haven't been yourself, lately. Been awfully quiet when the army needs to hear the roar of the Gorequeen flying over them. To be frank, the Khornates haven't exactly been themselves, either."

"And what makes you believe that, World Walker?" Valkia furrowed her brow with an accusative tone.

"Seriously? Look at your men." Wulfrik raised a thumb and pointed it over his left shoulder. "They've been as silent as rocks since the incident up north. Some of my men had almost been pissing themselves out of fear; preferred that they started screaming blood and skulls than be so damn... quiet."

"The Gods saw fit that the berserkers be focused in their battle against the Dark Elves." She lied. Wulfrik saw through it and bellied out a mocking laughter.

"HAH! Never took a follower of the Hound to be a good liar. If the Gods did see fit for your warriors, then what of the other followers? The Serpent, the Raven, and the Crow? Those three have been out of their damn minds; crying over spilled milk or something. Not like the Hound's. No. There's something a foot here, and you're hiding it."

He leaned in closer, but not enough to be considered threatening for Valkia. Still, she kept Slaupnir by her side and made careful planning to use it before Wulfrik could overstep the line.

"What did you find from our Blood God? What answers did you recieve when you've arrived upon his throne?" He questioned. Valkia was glaring daggers and clenching her teeth at being scrutinised by this low-life. However, restraint had been the better master to her and told her to at least be reasonable about it. To a degree, however.

"...When was the last time Chaos had been stopped before?" Valkia asked. Wulfrik paused and opened his mouth but no words came out of it. He scratched his dirty red beard to try and remember but came out with nothing.

"I'm not exactly good with history, y'know? But care to elaborate?"

Valkia could only shake her head at her fellow norsii's ignorance.

"Since Magnus the Pious defeated our last Everchosen, Avasar Kul. Which was almost 230 years ago."

"That long, eh?" Wulfrik said, now scratching his head. "Been awhile since we've gotten a new Everchosen. But that really hasn't stop our people from raiding the south, has it?"

"No, not really..." She agreed, before answering reluctantly in hushed whispers. "But there is a new power. One that could potentially destroy us all."

"So a challenger? Well, they can get in line once I've taken the skulls of other champions." Wulfrik casually boasted.

"You may be right. But Khorne has made it clear that the gods are... afraid." Valkia further explained. "Something about this... man has made an impression on every god. Khorne is pleased, however, but not so much for the others."

"So you're saying this southerner has put the fear in the gods? Interesting." Wulfrik looked intrigued by this. However, Valkia was not amused at all by his interests.

"Don't even think about it. And by Khorne's words, he is no southerner. Far from it." Wulfrik looked surprised but kept quiet.

"He is... not from here, but from another realm. A time when the Gods were truly powerful in their infancy. And he has come to bring wrath and ruin to us all." Valkia finished. "And now we are to conquer Alfheim soon after the Dark Elves are destroyed in order to stop this man." Valkia finished. Wulfrik looked on with a mix of emotions on his face, but his smile prevailed and revealed his intent.

"So... an other worlder, eh? Finally, a skull worthy to lay claim for the gods."

"Don't even think about it, Wulfrik." Valkia warned. "We don't even know what kind of power he holds, so you best stay clear of him. And not a word gets out between the two of us. Do so, then I'll start raping your arse with Slaupnir. Understood?"

"Heh, could have been more gentle about it? Maybe share drinks first before we get to the action?" Wulfrik jested, much to Valkia's ire. The Wanderer took notice and backed down.

"Eh, relax. I'm simply lightening the mood. And don't worry, your secrets with me."

The World Walker winked and soon departed to meet up with his raiders, leaving Valkia to her own thoughts again.

 _"Guide my blade, beloved._ "

* * *

 _King Bran's Final Voyage_ _\- The Witcher 3 OST_

_Lothern, Ulthuan_

The funeral ended surprisingly early than expected. The king's remains were moved back to the city where it was placed on a boat and drifted off to the calm seas before being lighted by fire by an archer off shore.

"The mourning is over. All of Ulthuan is grateful of your attendance. However, we will have to cut this ceremony short, immediately. Mourn and give condolences in your homes. The Phoenix Court shall now begin an assembly at the parliament. Thank you and goodbye."

Teclis' voice rang the air as he announced the following events. Many of the denizens looked confused, including the princes. However, all dispersed quickly and moved on with their lives. Doom Slayer was waiting nearby with a couple of Teclis' guards behind him. By this time, it was still noon. The ceremony was done rather hastily. However, not many were expecting the king to die so sudden and with the way the End Times were coming so soon, so it's not hard to see the sickly prince be in a hurry.

All the princes soon gathered and walked towards the parliament in haste. Teclis approached Doom Slayer and shooed the guards away elsewhere.

"Well, this is far from over. We still have more matters to deal with. Usually the "paperwork" politics the princes seem to enjoy." Teclis grumbled. Doom Slayer crossed his arms in both annoyance and disapproval of having to waste more time. Hayden spoke his mind out.

 ** _"That is hardly an important matter to deal with. He is here to destroy the daemons, not sit through beauracracy. How much time must be wasted before it is too late stop the end of the world?"_** Hayden questioned. Teclis could only shake his head in annoyance.

"Had it been a normal time; usually thirty days." Teclis approximated. Doom Slayer furrowed his eyebrows behind his visor, giving the prince a clear view of his current mood.

 ** _"That is time we don't have. It is now or never."_** Hayden pressed.

"And I agree with such an argument, believe me. But arguing with these princes is like trying to punch a wall. Their egos are simply that hard to break."

 ** _"Well, not hard for him."_** Hayden countered as he pointed Doom Slayer as an example.

"Of that, I'm well aware. But 'the pen is mightier than the sword' as your human sayings go." Teclis remarked. "Unfortunately, there is truth to that. I won't order you to be my lapdog, mind you, so you're free to do as you will. However, making a good impression among the princes is a start... Then again, you have a sort of rebellious streak about you." Teclis assessed.

Doom Slayer shrugged; pretty much apathetic about politics.

 ** _"Doesn't care, really."_** Hayden answered. Teclis smirked then gestured Doom Slayer to follow.

* * *

_Phoenix_ _Court_

"This is unaccept-"

"-xpect us to consider action withou-"

"-re on the verge of collapse if we don-"

"-then we shall call in vot-"

"-ur king has just passed and now you're alrea-"

Doom Slayer stayed behind the scenes as he listened on the sycophantic rantings of the princes arguing over who was going to be the next king. Not even a minute since entering and they all started going at each other's throats.

Doom Slayer was not one for politics. He lived a soldier's life. Before his first life came to an end, he was a marine. He was trained to be the best soldier on the field, and a damn good one to boot. His training saved him more times when the first Hell invasion came. And this was all before he became a Night Sentinel.

Still, politics got in the way as usual. Only this time, the politicians were full of knife-eared pricks.

He would be glad to just go back to Hell and finish his job then be here all day.

Teclis looked tired and slammed his staff into the floor causing a burst of magic in the room; grabbing everyone's attention.

"That is enough! All of you!" Teclis declared. "I understand that this is a stressful time we are living in but we must put all our attention in the next step forward. Finubar has writtened his will before his passings and we must now honor them."

"And how exactly did the High Loremaster recieve such a will?" One prince questioned. The prince was a remarkably brunet among an otherwise blonde-haired crowd. He wore a mixture of gold and white coloured armor with a dragon heraldry. The air around him reeked of ambition and pride.

"It is rather suspicious of you to keep one right after the king passed. Tell us, were you're going to use it as leverage to have us all kowtow if you were declared Phoenix King? Or was it your brother that you would support whom you lived under his shadow?" He continued. Tyrion was livid to hear those words and struck back.

"You dare insult my brother as if I'd use him as a puppet, Imrik?! You speak proud and mighty, yet show no proof of it as you hide behind your dragons while you sing to them! So we'll settle this with a duel! Unless a Caledorian like you is too much of a peacock to even prove himself worthy!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" The prince now identified as Imrik yelled in retaliation of Tyrion's insult. The crowd grew into an uproar as both princes were ready to draw swords out. However, Teclis and another prince stood between the princes.

"Enough! This bickering is going nowhere unless we focus on pressing matters at hand!" The third prince said. He was - for one thing - tall even by elven standards. He was quite huge and easily towered the other princes. His armour stood out as it had the coat of a lion strapped over his left shoulder like a cloak. Dom Slayer would have mistaken for another human were it not for the ears.

"Captain Korhil is right." Teclis answered, shooting down the Korhil's presumed status. "We cannot make progress unless we cease further tension within the court. But what Imrik speaks of is valid to a degree. I did recieve Finubar's will shortly after his death. However, he entrusted me to ensure that his will had been fulfilled under certain conditions."

The princes around him were whispering among themselves as he explained himself. Imrik hinted smug underneath that smirk of his. His judgement was true... for now.

"What did his will entail?" One prince asked. Teclis paused a bit before speaking to the crowd.

"His first task was to bring Malekith - the Witch-King of Naggaroth - to be brought to Ulthuan and be put on trial for his crimes against the Asur." Teclis answered. This was met with disbelief and skepticism as the crowd scoffed at the impossible task set by their king.

"Tsk. Unlikely to ever happened." Imrik responded, to which the princes agreed. "No one has ever dared bring Malekith to justice. He is a powerful sorcerer, and one who will not easily go down without a fight. And let's not forget the army he controls: the Druchii."

Imrik looked to every prince without a hint of hesitation.

"Since the Sundering, these savages divided our people for the sake of power; slaughtered our own in the name of their 'king'; and plotted for years and years endlessly until Malekith finally takes his birthright as 'Phoenix King'. Even if he was brought here, then how can we ensure that he is restrained without his power?"

The princes unanimously agreed with the Caledorian. Teclis, however, remained impassive and continued.

"King Finubar had already made a contingency plan to see it through. Which is why he added another task to his will."

What was the other, Prince Teclis?" Korhil asked. Teclis looked back at Doom Slayer, who was leaning back on one of the pillars of the court and gestured him to appear before the crowd. Doom Slayer stood back up and walked to the center of the assembly. Many backed away as they noted his intimidating visage and approach towards them as Teclis gestured. Doom Slayer stood next to the loremaster and looked around the room as the court began whispering amongst themselves.

"Presenting to the Phoenix Court is our solution: Doom Slayer. Along with his unseen companion, Dr. Samuel Hayden." Teclis announced. The court looked to themselves suspicious by his overall appearance. However, Hayden spoke up to silence the crowd.

 ** _"It is an honor to be among proud people."_** Hayden greeted. The crowd continuously whispered among themselves. Imrik smirked as if humored.

"This must be some sort of odd jest you have, Teclis." Imrik taunted. "How do you expect me take to take this stranger seriously when he's not even a dwarf? He has little in common with them save for the title. Just where exactly is the hideous beard and ugly haircut?"

Some of the court members laughed to themselves. Doom Slayer tilted his head in confusion.

 ** _"No idea what you're on about, prince._** **_Did a dragon drop you on the head as a child when you were on your first flight? Clearly, much of it hasn't been there since."_** Hayden retorted. Imrik was taken aback by Hayden's surprisingly quick - if childish - comeback. It was enough to anger the prince, though.

Much to Teclis' delight.

"You dare insult a prince of Caledor in front of the Phoenix Court?! Such slander will be punished severely!" Imrik threatened.

 ** _"And what will you do? Punish us with a song of ice and fire? Didn't do so well, last season."_** Hayden retorted, which - while confusing for the Court - only infuriated the dragon prince even more. Teclis was quick to step in front of Doom Slayer, despite being more than capable of defending himself on his own.

"You will not bring harm to this warrior, Imrik of Caledor!" Teclis issued. "It is by the King's final will that the Doom Slayer is to bring the Witch-King to Ulthuan! Any who object will be directly going against the king's final orders!"

The crowd began to talk among themselves, shocked by this new development. Imrik, however, soon backed off but remained contemptuous for the duration of the assembly. Doom Slayer could see Tyrion surprisingly pleased by Hayden's saving grace. Many stared at Doom Slayer with apprehension, initially. However, Korhil was the first to speak up.

"...If what Teclis speaks is true, then it is our duty to uphold our king's will. Any objections?" The court grew silent. Wary, but unobjective. Teclis beamed with relief. Korhil looked back at the Loremaster

"Then I suppose we would want a proper introduction from your companion." Korhil suggested. The court then looked to their new visitor. Doom Slayer was a man of no words. Hayden, on the other hand, was the opposite.

**_"I am Dr. Samuel Hayden, and the man that stands before you is the Doom Slayer. And we have come from another world... to save yours..."_ **

* * *

_More boring exposition later..._

After Hayden _finally_ finished sharing stories and exploits, there was a mix-bag of reactions among the court. Some were slightly invested in Hayden's scientific discoveries and technological benefits - not to mention just how revolutionary Hayden was considering that has now transcended from his physical form to something entirely unseen yet present as a mere voice - as well as perhaps allowing Doom Slayer to be in their auxiliaries, while others remained skeptical and hesitant about Hayden's research and the Slayer's abilities. And a few like Prince Imrik scoffed at them for being nothing more than charlatans.

It wasn't Hayden mentioned the demons invading Earth did the court went silent. Many wondered just how large the invading force reached beyond their existing world. Some have even taken to reconsider aiding Hayden, if only a tad bit.

But for Doom Slayer, it was _finally_ over.

He was sick of standing in the middle of that room. Being gawked at like some sort of newly-discovered fossil hardly phased him, but just trying to remain still was agonising.

Fortunately, the court had finally been put to rest and the princes were left to their own devices. Tyrion, Teclis, and Korhil were the only ones left standing besides Doom Slayer.

"I must admit, Hayden. Your world is vastly superior compared to the humans here. Maybe moreso than ours. And you definitely shut Imrik up for once." Korhil complimented.

**_"Thanks. We have been on a long road to making progress without the help of dwarves and elves. And substantially evolved far more than our counterparts."_ **

"Still, I find it hard to believe that neither our peoples nor the dwarfs exist in your reality. They didn't go extinct, did they?" Korhil asked, slightly concerned.

**_"Negative. Only humans have ever existed. And so did magic."_ **

"And yet, you managed to be every bit resourceful in regards to your engineering and revolutionary inventions." Teclis regarded. "The most advanced we've had is the use of steam-powered engines and gunpowered. And that's humans alone."

"Which is telling that you are a threat to Ulthuan." Tyrion aded, much to his brother's displeasure. "Even if it is true, the last thing the Asur needs is a another great power to rival us besides Chaos. In other words, it only justifies my distrust for allowing you two to be welcomed here in the first place."

 ** _"Your faith in us is truly astounding, Prince Tyrion."_** Hayden dryly remarked. **_"You do forget with the Legions of Hell attacking Earth, we are far from commiting war crimes against this little island - and by the extension the rest of the world - it would be beneficial to combine our resources and commit to diplomacy rather than conquering another world."_**

"Tsk. That remains to be seen." Tyrion scoffed. "I have had enough parleying with you today. I'm off to serving other greater purposes. This discussion is over."

The prince exited out of the room. Teclis shaked in disapproval while Korhil waved offhandedly.

"Bah. Don't let him get to you." Korhil assured. "He can be a real pain in the ass, but he's a damn good fighter, that one. Saved all of Ulthuan. And especially the Everqueen." The White Lion casted a wink back at Doom Slayer, prompting to raise an eyebrow. "Besides, he's practically nicer once you meet Eltharion."

 ** _"So we've been told."_** Hayden replied. Korhil casually shrugged.

"Well, at least you're well-informed. But as much as I like to continue on, I also got business elsewhere. Take care, Slayer. Loremaster."

"Farewell, Korhil." Teclis replied, with Korhil exiting the court. Doom Slayer looked back at Teclis, waiting for what he had to say.

**_"I hope that's the end of it. If I had my old body, I probably would've felt long-winded with that entire speech."_ **

"Well, actually, there's just one more thing that I have to do." Teclis responded. Doom Slayer could only throw his hands in the air in frustration. However, Teclis was quick to explain the predicament.

"Wait, wait! Allow me to finish!" Teclis urged. "I haven't exactly told you everything about the assembly, and it is rather repetitive of me to do so, but it will relate to your next goal."

 ** _"Do tell."_** Hayden said. Teclis straightened himself up a bit before sharing. As it was last night, the Loremaster summoned a dome over them to block contact outside.

"While I was sending word to the princes, there was one in particular that I've tried to make contact with. His name is Alith Anar, or the Shadow King, as he goes by nowadays. He's currently waging a guerilla war with the Druchii in Nagarythe; blocking their means of access. Most of the time."

 ** _"Nagarythe? You mean Naggaroth?"_** Hayden asked, genuinely confused by the mixed names.

"The former, actually. Nagarythe is a kingdom of Ulthuan. Naggaroth was named after the former homelands of the Druchii. They were once allies with Ulthuan before the Sundering happened. Now, it's nothing more than a land full of swamps and death. What's left of the kingdom is comprised of specially-trained Asur known as Shadow Warriors. And Prince Anar happens to be in command of them."

**_"And he'll be our guide, am I correct?"_ **

"Indeed. He know's more of the Druchii territories than any other Asur. Even myself. However, it will take some time before my message gets to him, it seems. Which means you won't be staying here, fortunately. I can send some guards to escort you out."

 ** _"Actually, before we go, there's one question I've been meaning to ask._** ** _Back at the inn, an assassin attempted to kill him in his sleep. However, my diagnosis of it revealed to be a... rodent. Any idea what it is?"_** Hayden questioned. Teclis sighed in irritation, but not towards the question.

"Ugh. A skaven, or 'ratman' in the human tongue. Nefarious little beasties that plague all over the world. Cowardly but vile creatures who have caused untold horrors to the surface world. Their vast empire is beneath our feet as we speak. Sadly, many have scoffed them as urban legends. It's especially notorious in the Empire of Man. The lowborns are ignorant of their existence while the Emperor and his entrusted advisors do their best to suppress it in order to avoid societal collapse."

 ** _"A conspiracy detrimental to the well-being."_** Hayden remarked.

"Better than outright disorder." Teclis countered. "I would rather have them alive than be one ally short of a defense against Chaos. However, they're not the only ones who are being plagued by them. The dwarfs wage war with them on a constant basis. I even heard about a threeway war between the dwarfs, the night goblins, and the skaven. And in the south, the Lizardmen continue to fight them as we speak. Heed my worre, never underestimate them. They are just as dangerous as the endless horde of Chaos. You might want to put them on your radar. The assassin was the first of many."

**_"Hmm. This world certainly has its charm. I will have to learn more about this, eventually. That will be all. Thank you, Teclis."_ **

"It's always a pleasure to share a curious mind." Teclis gestured a magical sign and the dome disappeared after. "Now then, I'll have the guards escort you, right away."

Doom Slayer raised a hand and shaked his head in response.

 ** _"I believe he knows his_** **_way out of here."_** Hayden answered. Teclis shrugged.

"Fine by me. Take care, Doom Slayer. Dr. Hayden."

 ** _"Loremaster."_** Doom Slayer walked out, leaving the Loremaster alone.

Walking his way down the halls, he had taken the leisure to look up the stained glass windows that were framed above him.

History written in glass. Unity, division, war, and collapse.

The hallmarks of a dying empire. An all too familiar setting.

 ** _"Reminds you of anything?"_** Hayden asked his companion. Doom Slayer snorted, dismissively in turn.

 ** _"No offense. You're homesick. We both are."_** Hayden added, sympathetically. Slayer only sighed after.

As he continued, a peculiar but familiar sight caught his eyes. Doom Slayer stopped in his tracks.

Just around the corner, a furry little critter appeared.

It stood up in its hindlegs, as if anticipating his approach. Its ears reaching upwards above its head to sense passerbys. The cream colour of its fur stuck out against the monotone white corridors and floor. Its sights landed upon Doom Slayer. He stood frozen from his place; his heart almost skipping a beat.

It was a rabbit.

Doom Slayer wondered if he was relapsing back to his hallucinations again or not. Hayden's voice snapped him out, however, and placed him back into reality.

 ** _"Hmph. The guards seem to have grown complacent with 'visitors', have they now?"_** Hayden remarked. The rabbit began slowly hopping its way to the man. Doom Slayer knelt down as it got closer. The rabbit stopped and stared hesitantly at him. Slayer reached out a hand slowly towards it, making it back up a bit. However, after a few moments of hesitation, it began sniffing his hand. Sensing no harm from him, the rabbit placed its head on the hand, allowing him to rub its chin a bit. He then scooped it up and carefully cradled it around his arm. The rabbit didn't struggle and remained comfortable in its position. It amused Hayden as he observed the whole scene.

**_"Heh. I almost forgot you're very soft on the inside at times. Not really important, but I've scanned the rabbit and it's a female. Though, I doubt her name happens to be-"_ **

"Althena!" Doom Slayer looked up as heard a voice calling. Said voice was from a woman who was calling out for someone. He walked to who it was calling. Just right around where the rabbit was, stood an elven girl. She had been looking opposite of where Doom Slayer was - her back in front of him - but based on her voice, he could tell she was worried. The gears kicked in his head and realized she was more than likely looking for the rabbit.

"Come on, girl, where are you? Althie?" She called out again. Hayden announced their presence.

 ** _"I believe this rabbit is yours, young lady?"_** Hayden said. The elf turned around and Doom Slayer recognized her as the girl from the funeral, standing next to the Everqueen.

The king's daughter.

The princess was startled by the appearance of Doom Slayer and then horror as she saw her rabbit in his hands. She stood frozen as they made eye contact. Sensing how intimidating his appearance was, he slowly approached her and gestured her to take the rabbit. The princess looked surprised but carefully took Althena off his hands. She carefully inspected the rabbit, and was relieved to find her unharmed.

"Good girl..." She said, petting her. Although, she remained sullen as she comfort her pet.

"I can't afford to lose you as well..."

She then looked up at the marine, who stared silently with a blank expression. It made her a little uncomfortable, but was grateful of him.

"T-Thank you..." She said, shyly. "I was not expecting such a kind gesture from a strange visitor. Not even when he is a guest of Prince Teclis."

 ** _"Guests, actually."_** Hayden corrected, much to the girl's surprise. ** _"And who might you be?"_**

"I am Aliathra, daughter of King Finubar and Alarielle the Everqueen. And I am their Everchild." She then held up her rabbit with pride. "And this little troublemaker is Althena! Or Althie as I like to call her."

**_"An honor to stand in your presence. I am Dr. Samuel Hayden, but the man standing before you is Doom Slayer. I am merely a stand-in for his voice."_ **

"Oh? I didn't know there were two of you! But I am pleased to meet you both." She said, before bowing. All while carefully holding Althena in her arms.

"Although, I'm a tad confused: how are you a slayer?" Aliathra asked, further inspecting Doom Slayer's armor. The marine seemed puzzled as he tilted his head. "You don't... look like a dwarf. I would be expecting one to be shirtless, wield dual axes, and have a fiery mohawk. You're the first one I've known outside dwarf customs to take up the title. Are you perhaps looking up to pay amends through death?"

 ** _"Quite the opposite, actually. Far too angry to die."_** Hayden answered. ** _"_** ** _You'll have to forgive the lack of knowledge but we have only been here since last night. Although, such information could be quite beneficial. It would help us in the future."_**

"Well, I am deeply fascinated with Dwarfen culture. Father used to talk about much of his travels. I am to partake an expedition to one of their keeps as well. Although, I still have plenty of time packing things so I could pass on what I know. Which is several, in fact."

**_"All the more to know, I'll say."_ **

"Aliathra!" Another voice called out. This time it was recognizable. Both looked back to where the Everchild had come from. And within view was Tyrion, whose mood turned sour... again.

"Aliathra! Stay away from him!" Tyrion rushed towards the Everchild, and stood in between her and Doom Slayer.

"What were you doing with her? Explain!" Tyrion demanded. Doom Slayer kept quiet as usual, but kept a permanent glare at the scowling prince. Hayden proved to be useful as always.

**_"Nothing. We were just leaving. She happened to lose her rabbit and we returned it to her. That's all there is."_ **

"It's true, uncle Tyrion. I just lost Althie, that's all." Aliathra defended. Tyrion never took his eyes off the Slayer, but spoke calmly to the Everchild.

"Aliathra, go find your mother. She's worried sick."

"No need for that, Tyrion." A third voice came in. Standing behind the two Asur was a far more extravagant sight. Walking towards the three was a figure of high importance. Dressed in a lavish but earthly-colored clothing, full of heart emblems and silk, the Everqueen was stunning. Behind her, a semblance of warrior women followed their queen. A steely gaze set upon her brow, yet warmth revealed itself on her lips. This was an authority none shall question, and one that Doom Slayer would respect.

The Everqueen approached the three with grace and fluidity.

"There is no need for hostility, my dear Tyrion." She said, her words calming and lovingly enough to make the prince stand down. "Your brother's 'guests' has stirred up quite a fuss among the court. Although, it is quite some time since we have had a unique visitor. But where are my manners? I am Alarielle. Everqueen of Ulthuan and Chosen of Isha. I bid you welcome to our lands, esteemed guests. And there is no need of you to introduce yourselves. I have been informed of your identities."

 ** _"It is a great honor to make your acquaitance, Everqueen."_** Hayden greeted in respect. Doom Slayer, instinctively, bowed to her. This took Tyrion and Hayden by surprise; not expecting the gesture be shown by the marine. Alarielle, however, smiled in gratitude.

"Likewise, Dr. Hayden." Alarielle replied. "I am pleased to meet you both."

Tyrion spoke up, after. "My lady, I would be careful with him. He's an anomaly here and I believe it's bes-"

Alarielle raised a hand, shutting Tyrion's words in a knot.

"There is no need for that, Tyrion. My handmaidens are there to serve their duties. However, I would like to know more about our estranged guests here than anything. I know a particular spot with a wonderful view. Care to join?"

Doom Slayer took a moment to himself. He thought no harm in it and nodded in acceptance. Alarielle seemed pleased by it.

"Excellent!" She exclaimed. "Tyrion, I will handle this from now. You may leave us."

"But-"

"It's alright, Tyrion. There is nothing you should worry about. Aliathra, come."

"Yes, mother." Aliathra followed closely to the Everqueen, while Doom Slayer followed. The handmaidens kept their eyes on him as he tagged along.

Only Tyrion was left alone, contemplating in his thoughts.

_"...What just happened?"_

* * *

_The Tower of Cold, Naggaroth_

The Witch-King stood over the edge of his tower as he stared north of where the greatest threat existed for thousands of years.

Chaos.

Since the Twin-Tailed Comet, much of what happened recently had been... eventful.

Last night, out of nowhere, several of his subjects had transformed and twisted into Chaos-warped abominations in all of Naggaroth.

However, he likely suspected them all to be his mother's cultists. Morathi's Pleasure Cults were abundant in Druchii society despite his attempts to quash them under his fist.

That said, it was satisfying to know the cultists reveal themselves in plain view. His enforcers were more than happy to cut them down and seek their king's approval.

Of course, not all of them were cultists.

The Tyrant of Hag Graef, Malus Darkblade, was reported to have gone into a frenzied state in his tower and was on a rampage. Many of its residents had been slaughtered in wake of Malus' madness before several guards and heavy support detained him. Even then, more had lost their lives putting him on ice.

In truth, Malekith knew that it was the demon inside Malus - Tz'arkan - that caused the incident. Malus was his champion and trusted confidante, and sent him a steady supply of elixirs to keep him at bay with his literal daemon.

From what he gathered, many had reported of the Tyrant screaming incoherent words save for one name. Doom Slayer.

Malekith was... absolutely baffled. A dwarf was what caused this whole hysteria in the first place? This had to be very absurd. He's seen plenty of dwarfen slayers before but nothing in the way that could be considered a wide-scale threat.

Except for maybe that one dwarf named Gotrek he's often heard about.

Nonetheless, he ordered his guards to retrieve him so as to investigate further, and even sent Hellebron to personally take him in.

He continued to stare at the endless void of the north. The Witch-King could sense a looming threat over his people. The End Times were upon them. When is another matter on its own.

**_"I made it quite clear that you would never set foot in my tower... Morathi._ **

The Witch-King needed not turn his back when the Hag-Sorceress arrived. The feint burst of magic was enough to detect even if scant. He could already feel her dark lips grinning insidiously behind him as he stood impassively by the his balcony.

"My dearest Malekith, is that how you would treat your own mother?" She asked sweetly. Her son, however, saw through the deceptions and scoffed her.

 ** _"Your honeyed words work only on the weak-willed. I am not. Speak plainly."_** Malekith made no effort hiding his disdain for her. Morathi's smile faltered. While not quite angry, she had grown frosty in her expression.

"Is it ever wrong for a mother to visit her own blood? Perhaps she wanted to mend bridges." She sulked. "Maybe offer counsel in this lonely towers."

 **"Doubtful they would be of any relief."** He quipped. **"What words you carry? Speak... and I may be forgiving of you for intruding my home."**

Morathi breathed deeply before sharing.

"Times are changing, as you have noticed." Morathi started. "The worshippers of Chaos have revealed themselves so openly in our lands. The Druchii are begginning to question their king's abilities to stamp them out. That king being... you."

 ** _"_ And yet those worshippers happened to be part of your cult, if I'm not mistaken." **Malekith remarked. **"Said followers, in fact, have exposed themselves as weak, gibbering, wastes of skin for unexplained reasons. Shame that you weren't one of them."** Malekith turned his back from the view and towards his mother, whose eyes were now slightly twitching, noticeably. She still kept her emotions well hidden, however, despite her infamous temper.

"Maybe so, but they were weak to be of any fortitude. The Druchii do not allow weakness in our grand kingdom. Those who survived are much stronger."

 **"Yes. Like unending parasites."** Morathi's grin flattened to a scowl. Malekith could not care if it offended her. **"What else is there that I already have known?"**

Morathi was ready to burst into flames at the indignation, but held her tongue in exchange for a cool head.

"The hordes of Chaos are coming to Naggaroth. But you knew that already, haven't you?"

 **"Acutely."** He admitted. **"But that is enough to raise the defenses... though, I sense you are not telling me everything... mother."**

Morathi smirked, hinting satisfaction of her familial pride.

"How insightful of you. But I believe Darkblade would fill you in."

By impeccable timing, the guards returned with Malus in tow. He had been shackled and restrained in heavy chains and collared by mancatchers. His mouth had been gagged with a simple iron bar and chain wrapped around it. It was unknown whether he had calmed down or was still possessed. Though, his head had turned white, which was telling.

Leading this display was none other than Crone Hellebron.

The Blood Queen of Har Ganeth herself.

Alongside her were the infamous Executioners and Witch Elves, who eyed at the daemon-possessed drachau with raised weapons at bay.

Hellebron kept her attention towards the Witch-King, though slightly soured by the appearance of the Hag-Sorceress herself standing beside him. Despite the mask hiding her features, Malekith could tell the burning anger in her withered lips. He was well-aware of their blood-fuelled rivalry, but saw it beneath his notice. His attention was on Malus.

"My King, it is an honor to have an audience with you. I have brought Malus Darkblade as requested." Hellebron announced. "How may I further assist you?"

 **"Your service has been valued, Hellebron."** Malekith said in gratitude. **"But I have no further need."**

The Witch King slowly approached the bound drachau, with Hellebron and the rest of her contingent making room for him. As Malekith got closer, the executioners readied their blades in anticipation of any further assault from the possessed Darkblade.

The Witch-King finally stood over Malus, head laid low at his feet. The eerie stillness made everyone tense save for Malekith, Morathi and Hellebron. Malekith slowly released the gag from Malus' head and cast it aside. Nothing had happened so far, but the Witch-King was ready for any provocations in bound.

Within five seconds, the possessed Malus launched from his feet at blinding speeds; hair turning white and eyes black as the void. He made an attempt to bite Malekith's neck. The guards holding him down were not quick enough to restrain him and struggled to keep him down due to his enhanced strength. The Witch-King, however, was far quicker.

In an instant, Malekith grabbed Tz'arkan by the neck and held him above. His legs were kicking in the air in a futile attempt to lash out. His only other action was screaming and wailing.

And the reports being accurate were an understatement.

**_"THE DOOM SLAYER HAS COME FOR CHAOS! HE HAS RETURNED TO REAP THE GODS FROM THEIR THRONES! AND THE HELL WALKER SHALL RIP AND TEAR THEM AND RAZE THEIR CORPSES! FOR HE WILL DESTROY ALL WHO DARE OPPOSE HIM! FLEE! ALL OF YOU!"_ **

The mad ravings had startled many in the room. Even the executions were every bit disturbed underneath their cold exterior. Hellebron looked unsettled while Morathi remained steely, though shared her hated enemy's disturbance. Malekith, meanwhile, remained calm and had no issue with the daemon's struggles.

**"They were certainly right about you, daemon. You _truly_ have gone mad. Even by the standards of your kind."**

**_"TO HELL WITH YOUR WORDS, PUPPET!"_** The daemon lashed out. **_"YOU STATUS OF POWER IS NOTHING IN THE FACE OF THE DESTROYER HIMSELF! YOU ARE BUT AN INSECT AGAINST HIS MIGHT!"_**

Seething with anger at the barrage of insults, Malekith slammed the possessed-Malus to the floor. The ground shaked upon impacf causing many of the guards to topple.

Malekith held the daemon in place; hand still by his throat.

 **"Dare insult me again and you will meet this... Doom Slayer... sooner."** He threatened. Tz'arkan stayed silent but bared his teeth in defiance. Malekith grinned under his mask in satisfaction.

**"Good. Now that's been cleared, I would prefer that you would be quite co-operative and tell me of the one known as Doom Slayer."**

Malekith slowly, and carefully, let go of Tz'arkan from his grasp. The daemon attempted to stand up as well, but the Witch-King stopped him from going any further from the knees.

 **"You will remain on your otherwise unless told otherwise."** Malekith warned. Tz'arkan remained compliant, much to everyone's surprise. The Witch-King ordered his servants save for Morathi and Hellebron to leave. They all did as told for fear of invoking his wrath.

**"Good. Now that's been done with, speak."**

Tz'arkan, like many daemons of Slaanesh, changed to a politeful - if wary - tone.

**_"...What is it that you desire to know?"_ **

Malekith leaned closer when asked of him.

**"Everything."**

_To be continued..._


	4. Blood in the Waters

_The Sea of Chaos_

Viktur stared off at the endless sea as he leaned on his ship's railings. The constance of waves crashing underneath the hulls and splashing his raven hair while the smell of salt hanged in the air was an acquired taste for many on their first voyage. But for him, he was born for such an environment.

And since he lived the life of a corsair like his fathers and his fathers' fathers before him, the career was both a fitting and profitable experience. Especially for an ambitious Druchii looking to sail his own Black Ark.

However, his ship - a Galleon outfitted with Reaper ballistae and cannons and now repurposed for piracy that he "willingly" taken off from the Bretonnians - was serviceable enough. The crew were carrying their duties, making sure the ship was taking its course to Araby. All while attempting to avoid the shores of Ulthuan.

Emphasis on "attempt" as he was still indecisive on whether or not to plunder a port just for the hell of it.

"Ah, I might as well let the boys have their fun." He told himself.

Besides them, there were the slaves who did their chores thoroughly. One slave made the mistake of spilled a bottle of excellent wine onto the lower decks and was strapped to the front of the ship to be keelhauled to death the other day. This ensured the others to stay in line lest they be made an example like the poor soul.

He took a bite of his apple - a rare treat as far as corsair raids have provided - and walked back to the main deck. Plenty of activity going on the ship. He passed by a dwarfen slave scrubbing the floors and a couple of the shipmates pulling and rigging on the masts. His first mate greeted him.

"Captain."

"Sindric! How is our crew? Is our course scheduled as planned?" Viktur asked, cheerfully. His first mate politely smiled and answered.

"Crew is fine, Captain. We have plenty of supplies and we will be near Ulthuan at the dead of night. The boys have been relieving themselves with the "maiden" in the lower decks. Although, they're asking if we could get more women once we arrive to Araby. They've grown tired of sharing. Plus, they're getting a little tensed up, especially knowing that we'll be heading near Ulthuan territory. We won't get there until tonight if our navigator has told us otherwise."

Viktur raised an eyebrow at the seeming demands given by them.

"We? _We?_ Do they realize who they're speaking to?" Viktur reminded, sternly. Sidric remained silent but looked visibly uncomfortable to answer.

"W-Well Captain, they may have been simpl-"

"I'm jesting!" Viktur joked, dawning a smile to ease his First Mate's reaction. "I am a charitable man to my crew! They grow restless and it's about time we start lighten up the place for once."

Viktur looked to the rest of the ship and began a speech.

"Attention!" He announced, stopping his crew from their duties, temporarily.

"Crew, I have recieved your complaints! And they are most well recieved! We are headed close to our most hated cousin! I have given some time to think and I have decided that we will raid a town! We will plunder their riches and slaughter them like cattle in the name of Khaine! Tonight, we will make the Druchii back home proud! And I promise that we will get the greatest pleasures Araby can provide! For I, Viktur of House Bloodsong; Captain of the _Faded Silence_ , rewards all!"

The crew cheered with malicious glee and hollered for the blood of the Asur. Viktur smirked at their praises, but no less appreciative of their dedication.

"Now get back to work! Lest you desire all of us to sleep with the sirens of the sea!" Viktur finished, with the crew laughing before going back to their business.

"My, My, Viktur." An alluring voice struck out. "You do know how to spoil them!"

Walking in from the shadows, strode a sorceress. Beautiful to the eye of the beholder, but cold as the breathe of Naggaroth. Her pale complexion exposed save for the metal bra and soft black fabrics that barely covered her sultry figure. She had taken his breath since they were born under the same night and shared their crib with one another, and then the bed as they grew older. His crew eyed her with carnal lust, but knew better than to approach her.

Moreso knowing that it was Saressa, the twin sister of Viktur Bloodsong, and they steered clear of her for that reason alone.

Anyone who had the misfortune of even so much as speak to her ran afoul with her brother. They were lucky that he allowed them to gaze upon her. Otherwise, they'd be dropping like flies in just a few minutes.

"Well, it is time that I throw a bone for them, Saressa. Wouldn't want any displeasure from a mutiny." He replied. Saresh smiled and closed on him with a passionate kiss, before biting on his bottom lip with vigour.

"Then, start spoiling me as well." She teased, before grabbing his crotch suggestively. Viktur grabbed her ass in response with a tight squeeze, while Sindric waited by uncomfortably as he watched the siblings grope each other in public. This took about a couple of minutes before Viktur stopped midway and realized something.

"Oh! I just realized that I needed to do something!" He exclaimed, much to Saressa's displeasure and annoyance.

Viktur looked back to Sindric, who patiently waited for his Captain's orders.

"I'll be below the decks to announce the maiden's... 'early retirement.'"

"As you will it, Captain." Sindric replied, amicably. Viktur then set his attention to his sister who began pouting.

"Why are you giving that whore so much attention now? She is beneath you."

"Indeed. But I do honor my words to the letter if I can help it, dearest sister!" Viktur replied. Saressa rolled her eyes, before leaning in his ear.

"I'll be in the captain's quarters." She whispered, before licking fondly at his ear. The captain felt hard again, but needed to get his priorities done quickly. He departed and headed below the decks. Several crewmembers and slaves moved aside to give him room, allowing him to maneuver through the tight corridors. He entered the lower decks, waving to a couple of his crewmembers before standing in front of the door where a guardsman stood up from his seat and closed a book on the table.

"Captain."

"Taryn!" Viktur greeted. "How's the maiden?"

"She's gone quiet. Boys might've roughed her up a bit." Taryn answered. "I think they might have broken her."

"Tsk. Tsk. That's no good." Viktur said with dismay. "Then how am I supposed to keep the boys settled when they have no toy left to play?"

Viktur frowned. "Let me in."

"Right away, sir." The guardsman opened the door to the maiden's "chamber". Stepping in, Viktur entered and found himself in nothing more than a filthy room full of dried blood and waste. Sitting around the corner was the maiden.

A Bretonnian woman. Once, she had fine ruby hair contrasting her porcelain skin and jade-coloured eyes, with the body of a queen lowered only beneath the Hag-Sorceress herself. Her breasts were plump and hips made for child-bearing, it was like holding a prized swine with her around.

Now, she laid on the floor like a shriveling corpse. Gaunt and suffering from malnutrition, the past four months had not been kind to her. The amount of drugs injected into her and her diet being nothing but scraps and leftovers, along with... bodily fluids was a testament that she could survive this long.

She was in a cradling position by the time he stood over. Her back was exposed with several cuts and lashes and plenty of bite marks around her skin. He saw a couple of fingernails planted deep within the board and couple of teeth loose on the floor.

She remained still, almost as if dead. However, a small nudge from his boot was all it took for her to faintly flinch upon reaction. Viktur smiled in relief.

"Ah good, you're alive!" He said. "I'm so glad to tell you that your service is no longer needed once we arrived in Araby. From there, you'll be dropped off and hopefully sold off for a small sum! I hope my crew hadn't been too rough with you. You know how they are. Always in need of relieving themselves somehow. But I assure you that this we will be all over once we get to the continent."

He kneeled down and leaned closer to her.

"Oh, don't be so dour. You've made it this far. Perhaps you'll find a new husband in a sultan." He reassured, as he gently moved the hairs away to see a glimpse of her face.

About as dead as a door nail if her expression was to go by.

This, however, did not dissuade him from being a gentleman.

"Speaking of husbands, it seems your former betrothed has finally decided to accompany you after all..."

Viktur took a glance back to one corner of the room. Sitting in the other corner, was the pickled head of a dearly beloved in a jar. One eye remained open as if to watch over her. He sneered at the practical joke he invented for his and everyone's amusement. He stood up, patting his legs from whatever dust was clinging onto him and made his farewells.

"Well then, that's all I have to say to you. It was certainly... a pleasure... to have you on board."

Knocking on the door again, the guard opened and Viktur soon exited the room.

After he had finally left, tears flowed out of the maiden's eyes.

* * *

_Lothern, Ulthuan_

Alarielle studied Doom Slayer's behavior as he sat across her.

For a man of his stature, he was surprising calm and well-mannered. She would have thought him to be a bit more... menacing around others. Granted, he was already with his eccentric appearance alone, especially since the funeral. But other than that, he seemed oddly curious. Curious about the life around him. From the noise of the denizens of Lothern to the unusual contrapions brought about from the Empire to the festivities surrounding the market. A sense of wonder, it seems. Likewise, onlookers stared wide-eyed at the Everqueen's entourage as they passed by several streets.

More specifically, Doom Slayer with the Everqueen's entourage.

To be frank, he stood out like an eyesore. His admittedly earthly but darker-coloured armor stood in contrast to the bright colours of both the handmaidens' and her own clothing. And that's not to mention how towering he was compared to the rest of her guard.

And those eyes. She had seen that kind of stare from plenty of her kin that served on the line of duty. Loss, anger, pain. She had even seen it in Tyrion and Eltharion as well. The latter especially when he had return from one of his campaign against the greenskins.

She wondered what went inside the Slayer's mind.

However, his polite demeanour and fast friendship with her daughter ultimately won her appeal.

In the present, they sat in the gardens somewhere in the upper levels of the city. From there, a great view of the port greeted them. They were on a patio secluded from the rest of the public's eye. Alarielle and her daughter sat on one side of the table while Doom Slayer sat opposite of them.

While it was admittedly just to get know her guest further, her true intentions were to understand the anomaly surrounding him. His presence was no coincidence when she felt the strange surge of magic eclipsed her mind, last night. The nature around her rejuvenated her domain with renewed life, unexpectedly.

And now the answers she had been searching for were sitting in right front of her.

She had to thank Teclis for bringing a blessing to the worlde.

 ** _"If I may interrupt your thoughts, Everqueen..."_** The voice known as Samuel Hayden started. **_"But is there something on your mind that you would like to ask of us? You left us hanging in silence for a moment."_**

The question brought her back to reality and she now realized that she been staring at the Slayer for an uncomfortably long time. Aliathra was sitting next to her with her Althena on her lap and she too felt awkward about her mother's She quickly shaked her head off and composed herself.

"O-Oh right! Excuse me." She excused. "Much apologies. I'm still getting used to the appearance of your companion's armor. Very unusual, yet unique even by either human or dwarfen standards. Such remarkable designs. Forgive my starry eyes."

Doom Slayer shrugged.

 ** _"None taken, he says."_** Hayden added. Alarielle peaked an eyebrow a bit.

"Do you... speak for him, Dr. Hayden?" She asked.

 ** _"I do, in fact."_** Hayden answered. **_"Ages have passed since he had lost his voice. It was before my time. So you'll have to excuse the occasional silent treatment and sign language. I have to roughly interpret his words in a way for you and others to understand."_**

"That's terrible!" Aliathra exclaimed. "I would've liked to know what your voice sounds like! Must be hard to be understood by a lot of people."

"Aliathra!" Alarielle admonished. "That's no way to treat our guest!"

"Sorry, mother..." Aliathra apologized. This only emitted a faint laughter from the doctor.

**_"Heh. There's no need to. He isn't exactly the most approachable person as I have known, first hand. Most people usually stay from a distance away from him. Of course, he's far more interested in being on the battlefield than standing idle and chatter while listening onto a bunch of nobles bicker for hours about miniscule politics."_ **

Alarielle was briefly taken aback by the bold words flowing out of the unseen doctor, but smirked in agreement.

"Hmm. I can certainly agree with such a statement, even if it is a bit blashpemous to speak in front of the Everqueen, doctor."

**_"Apologies. Much of my impressions of the princes were... low."_ **

"No need. I, too, do dislike the politics within the Phoenix Court. Fortunately, such things are beneath the duties of an Everqueen."

**_"Interesting. Care to explain what duties an Everqueen upholds?"_ **

"Gladly." Alarielle said. "An Everqueen, first and foremost, represents Isha, the Goddess of Life and Protector of the Natural Order. It is a high position not unlike a Phoenix King. One of importance but that's where the similarities ends, really. Unlike the Phoenix King, the position of an Everqueen is hereditary rather than voted among the Court. So naturally, my daughter Aliathra would be the next Everqueen."

 ** _"Curious way of changing representatives._** **_One side done democratically, the other passed down by blood. One focused on political order; the other, the natural order. A_** ** _strange union, if there ever was one."_**

Such a remark brought amusement to Alarielle.

"My, you're awfully curious of the world's surroundings."

 ** _"I'm a researcher."_** Hayden replied. **_"My goal is to find any resources that could be of beneficial use. Right now, my world has dried up its own natural resources, and are currently in the stages of what could be considered a... 'famine'... if you will."_**

Alarielle's smile quickly turned into frown immediately.

"Oh... I'm terribly sorry. I nearly forgot you come from a desperate world. Forgive my manners."

**_"None taken. What I've gathered might yield plenty of excellent results, and Teclis has mentioned other scientific minds who are willing to trade such vital intel. Mages, I've been told."_ **

"Yes. You are correct." Alarielle said. "Although, I am more than willing to help as well. I am a Chosen of Isha. And as such, my abilities could heal the old wounds of your world."

 ** _"I would be glad of your assistance then, Everqueen."_** Hayden said, appreciatively

"Please, call me Alarielle. There's no need for such formalities."

 ** _"If you insist... Alarielle."_** Alarielle perked up appreciatively with Hayden's quick acceptance. Discussion was soon interrupted when Aliathra's pet rabbit jumped off from her lap and hopped over to Doom Slayer's.

Aliathra attempted to stop but turned silent as she saw him craddle her in his arm and stroke her fur softly and caringly in a manner that would be seen in many rabbit handlers. Alarielle too was alarmed by this as well. Yet, both were pleased and touched by the tender display.

"Oh! I had not known the Slayer to display such affection for such wonderous creatures." Alarielle remarked, watching Althena rest on Doom Slayer's arm. Aliathra watched in awe of the display.

 ** _"He... used to have a pet rabbit at one point. Daisy, her name was."_** Hayden explained.

"Oh, what happened to her?" Alarielle asked.

 ** _"She died."_** Alarielle and her daughter drooped their ears in dismay of hearing his pet's death. The Everqueen didn't want to ask further as it was more likely sensitive to the Doom Slayer.

"I'm sorry to hear that..." Alarielle said. Doom Slayer responded with a nod in appreciation. He returned Althena back to Aliathra, carefully giving her into the Everchild's arms. Hayden soon spoke in the midst of it.

**_"Alarielle, with all due respect, we are very much honored to be in your presence but it seems there is something important that you would like to discuss."_ **

Alarielle acted confused, but was well-aware, and played up the ignorance a bit.

"Are we already not discussing the importance of your stay here?"

**_"Maybe, but this story isn't about my research._ ** **_It's about him, really."_ **

Alarielle said nothing, but her smile changed to a flat but neutral position.

"Aliathra, would give us a moment to ourselves? I'll have the handmaidens watch over you."

"Yes, mother." Aliathra stood up from her seat and left to walk about. Alarielle gestured some of her haindmaidens to follow the Everchild, to which they complied. After they left, it was only Alarielle, Hayden, and Doom Slayer alone.

Alarielle took a deep breath and prepared herself.

"Your presence, Doom Slayer, has shifted the balance in the Winds of Magic. I brought you here for that reason alone."

 ** _"Why am I not surprised?"_** Hayden remarked. Alarielle shaked her head in dismissal.

"Please, Dr. Hayden. What I'm speaking about is certainly one of importance."

 ** _"And I meant no offense, Everqueen."_** Hayden replied. ** _"But continue."_**

Alarielle continued on where she left off.

"His arrival... is an omen. The Princes scoffed at you as if you were the Loremaster's new experiment, but I know you for what you are. I do not know how Teclis brought you here nor do I need to know as to why you are here. But what you bring... could change the very fate of this world."

Alarielle leaned in closer. "When I first saw you walking down the funeral... I saw **Death** close to you. The **R** **age** inside of you was palpable. **Destruction** and **Vengeance** follow you like hounds to a master. I can see them in your eyes... so much pain behind them."

The Everqueen saw his eyes study her. She was not entirely sure if her words carried weight, but it would seem like he was contemplating her sympathies. His eyes closed and she could faintly hear him exhaling a sharp breath beneath his helm.

 ** _"It is not the first time he has recieved this kind of attention... nor it will be the last."_** Hayden answered.

"I understand." Alarielle placed a hand over the table and gestured him to give his.

"If I may..." Alarielle said. Doom Slayer stared at her hand for a few minutes, and slowly - if hesititantly - raised it over.

At a moment's touch, darkness enveloped her mind. And what came after was **Horror**.

Premonitions of twisted monstrosities flooded her vision. They were not unlike the Daemons of Chaos; ravenous creatures fighting for power and ravaging millions of worlds to sate their hunger.

But they were in unison. **Undivided.**

Legions upon legions of hellish creatures united under a dark ruler. Each were distinct from one another yet reveled in the carnage they wrought. Small, wiry creatures snarled and clawed at whatever unfortunate soul met them; hulking beasts with skulls for heads crushed and trampled upon the weak as they lay siege upon worlds; undead abominations in constant agony throw fire with strange protrusions on their backs; while even larger and fiercer monsters with red skin and horns roared and destroyed all that stood in their way with sickly green fire and claw.

And yet they were only a fraction of what comprised their army.

The greatest of them all, however, stood taller than even the tallest monument built by any race. It's very nature symbolized the greatest evils that these... **D** **emons**... worshipped.

All of creation was in peril. Moreso than even Chaos could ever accomplish.

Yet, one stood alone against the endless hordes of evil. For they feared him the most.

He saw two worlds ravaged like countless others. His loved ones, his brothers-in-arms, his people, his home... gone. The last shred of his sanity left on the first world. Only rage followed. And it was suffocating him.

The loss was too much, and the Slayer drowned in his anger for a long time... until he found a new home.

The second world rebuilt him as a far stronger and more resilient man. His sanity returned and he had found brotherhood in this new home. He forged bonds with the greatest warriors; knighted by a king and fought side by side with them against the evils that returned.

And in time, was blessed by heavenly beings into something more... **Divine.**

He was _the_ Champion. Protectorate and Destroyer. The shield in defense of the innocent and sword to plunge the wicked. For he walked alone as the light in the eternal darkness.

It was only through the machinations of treachery and corruption did the cycle start anew.

And when his second world had fallen... he did not fall into despair. Neither anguish nor struggle overcome him. No longer was he drowning in the anger that festered on to him for so long.

In the formless sea of violence, where others drowned in bloodshed and war... he remained undeterred. And thrived in the vast ocean of blood.

He was calm before the storm, and rose above the surface.

For only one could face the coming tide.

And it was the very man who sat across her.

The visions soon stopped, and by the time Alarielle was able to make sense of her surroundings, she was on the ground with tear stains formed on her cheeks and blood pouring out of her nose.

Her breathing became heavy and frantic while her body trembled uncontrollably. By now, Doom Slayer and her handmaidens had surrounded her with worry and fear, with the latter looking directly at the former with no hesititation to kill him. Aliathra returned as well, with great worry and confusion in her expressions.

"Alarielle!" A voice called out. It was her beloved Tyrion, and behind him was Teclis. He rushed to her side with fear in his eyes.

"Are you alright?!" Tyrion asked, before looking back at Doom Slayer with blind anger.

"What did you to her?! Answer me, damn you!" He lashed out. The Slayer did not speak, but his eyes turned to that of a death stare, which did not break Tyrion's resolve as he met his gaze with renewed anger. Thankfully, it was Hayden who had answered.

**_"We had done nothing. She tried to see through his mind. Whatever she saw must have taken her by surprise. I could only fathom what she had seen. There are things even you don't know in your long lifespan."_ **

Tyrion was about ready to retaliate and unleash his sword, only for his brother to stand in the way.

"Stop it, Tyrion!" Teclis demanded. "What Hayden speaks may be the truth!"

Tyrion was incensed by his brother's continued defense for the Slayer.

"Again and again, you continue to defend him whenever you have the chance even as the problems are there before you! Why must you turn your back on our people when he's done nothing but bring disaster since you summoned him?!"

"Because he's the last hope we have at stopping Chaos!" Teclis replied. "The wider world is at stake and he is our salvation!"

Both brothers stared down at one another. For a moment, it seemed like the bonds between them would break. But Teclis kept to his senses and became the voice of reason.

"We can't defend just Ulthuan any longer, brother. The End Times are upon us and we cannot survive this war unless we ally with the Empire, the Dwarfs, and even the Lizardmen. We cannot ignore the few options that we have left, and I intend to make sure that this world sees another light of day. With or without your help."

Tyrion struggled to comprehend his brother's reasoning. His patience for him was running thin and it was the last straw. Alarielle, however, came back to her senses and stood back up with the aid of a handmaiden by her side.

"T-Tyrion, please." She pleaded. "W-What Hayden speaks of is true. I took his hand and saw through his mind on my own. And what I saw... is something that you cannot imagine."

Alarielle looked back at Doom Slayer, pained by the experiences he went all this time.

"I-I am so sorry for what happened to you..." She said, mournfully. "You've lost so much so in your life. I cannot imagine the pain you've went through, all this time. But please know that you do not have to stand alone in this battle. The realms beyond are grateful for your actions, but let us stand with you. You need not walk this road alone... please."

The Slayer's gaze no longer hold of anger... but remorse.

He merely shaked his head in decline. He expressed little, but showed enough.

His attention turned to Teclis, who seemed guilt-ridden by all that happened.

 ** _"Has he arrived?"_** Hayden asked.

"Indeed... I'm here to collect you. A handmaiden had relayed a message to me to find you here. We'll be disembarking, shortly. Any words before we go?"

 ** _"Almost."_** Hayden replied. Doom Slayer instinctively turned towards the Everqueen.

**_"I am sorry that our conversation ended on a sour note, Everqueen. We will to continue this another time, I'm afraid. But understand that he prioritizes the safety for all. And he will stop at nothing to destroy the roots of all evil. Whether it be Chaos or Hell themselves."_ **

"Then do what you must, Slayer." Alarielle parted. Doom Slayer nodded and turned to Teclis, who waited expectantly. Tyrion was about to protest but the Everqueen placed on his shoulder, stopping him from further confrontation.

"I'm sorry, Alarielle..." Teclis said with remorse, before magically teleporting alongside Doom Slayer. The two then vanished in a flash of light, leaving Alarielle, Tyrion, their daughter and the Handmaidens in the gardens. Alarielle dismissed her handmaidens.

"Mother... a-are you okay?" Aliathra asked out of concern. Alarielle smiled faintly.

"I am alright, Ali." She reassured. "Could you leave us alone for a bit, my dear? I need to speak with Tyrion."

"Yes, mother..." Aliathra left the two, albeit reluctantly. Tyrion pulled out a cloth and began wiping away blood and tears off her face.

"I should've stopped him the moment he appeared in Teclis' library..." Tyrion remarked. His scowl growing worse by the minute. Alarielle was displeased to hear those words. He stopped his hand and laid hers on his cheek.

"You shan't, Tyrion." Alarielle protested. "He may seem brutish, but he has a noble heart. The things I saw in his mind... my heart hurts for him."

"Not you too..." Tyrion said in defeat. "What do you both see in him? I cannot tangle myself with more of this nonesense."

"I told you already, it was my decision to reach into the Slayer's memories, and that is my mistake alone." Alarielle replied. "I too carry the burdens of the world each day. Finubar's passing deeply troubles me as well - as does Ali - but I believe he made the right choice to bring him here. He is _the_ change that this world needs."

"And yet, where ever I come across him, it seems like he's conveniently causing a scene. It's ridiculous that Teclis drags him around like some pet he required." Tyrion countered. Alarielle frowned, but moved his face towards her.

Alarielle's and Tyrion's eyes connected with one another. The fire stoked inside them carried with passion and love. The Prince's lip turned into sad smile as he held her hand.

"You and your brother have done greatly for Ulthuan than any other prince on the island. And it will be greater if you let the Slayer partake in the safety of the world."

Tyrion sighed, contemplating on her words spoken by her.

"You and Aliathra are the brightest jewels that have shone in this world..." Tyrion remarked. "And I would fight with all my blood and steel to protect you both."

"As is expected of you, my sweet prince." Alarielle replied, followed by a small laughter. "But know that our Ali is in safe hands. And Teclis made that decision come to fruition."

Alarielle kissed him on his lips, and he returned it with the same affections as well.

Unberknownst to the two, Aliathra hid from plain view and listened in on her birth parents' chatter.

 _"I wished things turned out differently with you and father..."_ She said to herself. She soon disappeared, eventually returning to them at some point.

Meanwhile, another assailant watched from afar. Red eyes stood out of the lush greenery. The events that unfolded were becoming more and more interesting by the minute. This knight known as Doom Slayer seemed to have quite the influence and impact on the world, as the Everqueen had displayed, and it would no doubt interest her mistress back in the Silver Pinnacle.

And then there were the implications that the Everchild might not be who she seems to be.

Now THAT would be very good information to take. However, this was not enough to send back, only speculation, so she had to keep an eye on them.

That said, it would be also good to gather intel on this "Slayer". Finished with her assessment, she returned to the darkness and disappeared... where the Queen of Lahmia awaited further news.

* * *

_Alleyway, Lothern_

A flash of light later, and Doom Slayer found himself in a dark alley somewhere in the city. The sound of the seaport was nearby, but the scenery was that of decrepit squalor. It was an odd change, but it was to be expected. Every city had its own slums. And every slum had its secrets.

 ** _"Is this where our contact is?"_** Hayden asked, not really surprised by their new surroundings. Teclis did not look back at the Slayer

"Indeed, he's nearby." Teclis answered; his tone now that of embitterment. His mood had doured and grown distant in no part to the previous event mere moments ago. Hayden, out of character, decided to say something redundant.

**_"You're upset."_ **

"Was I too obvious?" Teclis snipped. Hayden took sympathy and explained further.

**_"Teclis, it was not in our intention to harm the Everqueen. She wanted to see what was in his mind. I can't say it was exactly pleasant._ ** **_"_ **

"Of course, and because of it, I make myself look like a damn fool every convenient timing. If only I could understand you, Slayer, this whole miscommunication wouldn't be as disastrous as I would've expected." Teclis said, venomously. Although, it was more to himself than it was to the Slayer.

"...Let's just move on." Teclis grumbled. "It's all in the past now."

Both men continued forward, moving around the corners and slipping through tight corridors as they made their way to the meeting spot.

After what felt like five minutes of travelling, they found their location in the form of a two-story building long abandoned by its previous owners, now ramshackled and faded by the passages of time. Cracks were appearing on the walls, windows were sealed up with wooden planks, and the front door was rotting away. Still, the structure remained sturdy and was in no way ready to fall apart just yet. Teclis gestured the door to open without struggle. Both entered, and blockaded the door with whatever furniture was left as they got inside.

Looking around, the place had seen better days. No signs of life existed, save for the sounds of scurrying rats. No surprise if the ratman lived here, Doom Slayer thought.

Both headed towards the stairs and reached the upper floors. Several rooms for one corridor but the biggest was the second door on the left. Plenty of space and an open view of the city from one window. Teclis took a seat from a wooden chair that looked "pleasant" enough to not disgust the Loremaster. Doom Slayer, meanwhile, taken to leaning on a wall near the closed door.

"He should be here any amount by now. Or probably has. Who knows?" Teclis said. That raised an a eyebrow from the Slayer.

 ** _"Assuming he hasn't..."_** Hayden started. **_"Mind if you share some details about this particular individual?_** ** _Besides the bare minimum you've given us."_**

"That much, I can entertain for the time." Teclis answered. "For one, he's dead... at least, according to the rest of the Asur. Simple reason as to why I kept it a secret in the first place. Don't need the hysteria come along. That, and he was formerly a supporter of the Witch-King himself. Long story short, the Sundering happened and what followed was betrayal and vengeance after. He is the last of his bloodline and still is. And he vows to destroy Malekith and his cohorts to his last breath."

 ** _"If he means to destroy Malekith, then that would be a difficult task for us."_** Hayden pointed out.

"Yes. Of that, I'm aware. I have told him about this and, obviously, he did not take it well. However, I persuaded him to stay his hand until Malekith was put on trial. He bickered about it but mentioning the Phoenix King since it was His will was more than enough to see that the plan goes accordingly. But for now, we'll just have to wait and see."

 ** _"Reminds of someone with such a vendetta..."_** Hayden lampshaded. That was an obvious jab to Doom Slayer, who merely smirked underneath his helm.

Suddenly, Doom Slayer felt another presence... and it sat in the dark corner of the room.

Quickly, he summoned the combat shotgun out of thin air and aimed it towards the corner. Teclis, meanwhile, jumped out of his seat as he had taken notice of his response.

He waited for whatever sat there and kept his finger on the trigger.

"No need for violence." A voice calmly called out. "I'm not the enemy you seek."

Out of the corner, came another elf. His armor had a silvery glimmer to it. Ornate with gold trimmings and heraldries of a crescent moon, the figure had a blue hood connected to a cape over his head. Conveniently, he pulled it off his head to reveal atypical features not seen on many other Asur.

Namely, his hair. Instead of the commonly golden and fair-coloured kind, this one had darker, raven-coloured hair in contrast. His features were noticeably sharper and pale in complexion, almost ghostly in appearance.

Seeing this individual in person, it could only mean one thing.

"Loremaster, if you can do the honors..." Their contact suggested. Teclis slightly fumbled but naturally composed himself.

"R-Right. Doom Slayer and Dr. Hayden, I would like you to meet Alith Anar. The Shadow King."

"In the flesh." Alith added. Doom Slayer lowered his gun and eventually had it disappear from his hand.

"Apologise for the deception." Alith said. "I had to know for certain if I can trust you as Teclis does."

 ** _"And now? What does your gut say?"_** Hayden asked. It gave an amusing response from the Shadow King.

"My 'gut' tells me that you are hiding plenty of surprises. And if anything, that 'gun' of yours proved enough to dispell my reservations." Alith replied. Doom Slayer only shrugged, while Teclis sighed in relief.

"I take it you have considered the plan, Anar?" Asked Teclis.

"I have, Loremaster." Alith answered. "Despite my issues with bringing Malekith to Ulthuan, I have decided to agree to the terms... if only to fulfill the King's wishes."

Teclis was relieved to hear the good news. Alith turned back to the Slayer.

"Although, seeing you turned the princes' heads with quite an impression was rather... amusing. And recieving invitation from the Everqueen and Everchild is an impressive honor." Doom Slayer tilted his head up a bit in surprise by the observations.

 ** _"So you were spying on us, then?"_** Hayden asked. Though, not quite surprised by such.

"Aye, indeed." Alith answered, hiding nothing in his honesty. "The way Teclis wrote about you, I was... skeptical. But after visiting the Court, I can tell that you're a warrior itching for a fight. And if your feats are to go by, I'm certain the Druchii won't be much a problem for you."

 ** _"Considering the enemies we've encountered, I'd say he'll cut through them like a hot knife through butter."_** Hayden remarked, before asking directly to Teclis in turn.

**_"Teclis, were you aware of him spying on us back at the Court?"_ **

"Only after he informed me, yes." Teclis admitted. "But I had a feeling he would be there. Just hidden from the rest of us."

"Don't forget that I _am_ dead." Alith added.

"Yes. That too." Teclis agreed. "But since that's out of the way, I think you'll enjoy the next stage of this plan."

Doom Slayer, despite his helmet getting in the way, smiled visibly in rejoice. Teclis soon pulled out a map and gestured another of his magical display. This time the map floated and unravelled to reveal maf of the Worlde. And much to both Hayden's and Doom Slayer's surprise, it was not unlike the geography of Earth.

 ** _"This... This is another version of our world!"_** Hayden pointed out, much to the surprise of both Asur as well.

"Curious." Teclis replied, his eyes lit up with astonishment. "Then perhaps we are connected in some ways. But we can discuss that for another time."

Teclis began walking towards the map.

"This is where we are. Ulthuan." He said, pointing to the home of the Asur, before moving towards what is essentially this world's version of North America. Specifically, Canada.

"And right there is Naggaroth. Home to the Druchii and the Witch-King himself."

"And standing between them and the Asur is Nagarythe. My people." Alith interrupted.

"You are correct, Anar. And that will soon be settled once we bring Malekith before the Court." Teclis added. The Loremaster looked directly at Doom Slayer.

"Is there any questions you would like to ask, Dr. Hayden?"

 ** _"None that could end in less than two minutes, I'm afraid."_** Hayden answered. **_"Though with the map provided, this will indeed help us coordinate our next destinations in the future."_**

And soon after, a beep from Doom Slayer's armor sent an important notification for him.

**_"And would you look at that. It seems our base has finally arrived."_ **

"Base?" Teclis asked, both surprised and confused by Hayden's meaning.

**_"Our fortress has reached its destination. Meaning that our means of travelling to our headquarters and retrieving supplies is now in full operation. We are prepared more than ever."_ **

"That's... excellent news!" Teclis replied with an uplifting tone. "Though, where is it exactly? I doubt the Asur will take lightly to its sudden appearance."

 ** _"No need to panic. It's above us."_** Hayden simply answered. Both Asur's eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-You mean-"

**_"It's above this world's atmosphere. Meaning beyond its skies."_ **

Teclis was speechless and couldn't process the thought of a fortress way above the skies.

"...I would like to see this fortress, one day."

 ** _"Another time, perhaps."_** Hayden replied. **_"But for now, I'm scanning the entirety of this world."_**

"Meaning?" Alith asked, raising an eyebrow.

**_"Think of it as creating a map, in simple terms. Except visually accurate, per say."_ **

"Oh."

"How long will that take?" Asked Teclis.

 ** _"Done."_** Hayden answered. **_"The process is complete_** ** _. Though, quite worrisome to look at if the North Pole is to go by."_**

"I believe what you're seeing is the Chaos Wastes." Teclis said. "Though, I'm more worried that you could actually see it and not be affected by its presence."

**_"My current state and programming has made me immune to such ill-effects. That, and I've seen my fair share of hellish encounters."_ **

"Oh, right. The Invasion of Hell. How forgetful of me." Teclis admitted. Hayden continued to observe the entirety of the worlde, looking away from the Chaos Wastes and observing the other continents.

 _ **"Aside from the dark energy readings, much of your world is interesting. I would like to explore thes-** **"**_ Hayden suddenly stopped mid-sentence, causing all three to stay on alert.

 ** _"Teclis, is Ulthuan expecting a vessel from the northwest?"_** Hayden asked, suddenly. Teclis looked confused by this.

"Northwest? But that would mean-" Teclis suddenly realized what he meant and grew pale from the revelation. Alith caught on and soon turned to horror, and then anger.

"How far is this ship?" Alith questioned.

**_"Judging by the shape and speed, it'll most likely hit shore tonight. It's passed by Nagarythe and is heading down south. Are there any coastal towns near the seas?"_ **

"You mean the ones in Tiranoc? A few I know." Teclis answered. "We'll have to hurry. Those towns need to be evacuated. We'll need to send reinforcements. Now!"

"I agree." Alith followed up. "I'll keep an eye on the shores. My men are standing by as we speak. They will be the first defense."

Doom Slayer approached Alith Anar, signalling to his willingness to join.

 ** _"We'll join you as well."_** Hayden answered, while Doom Slayer pulled out a shotgun and cocked it with malicious intent. Alith could read his expressions and agreed.

"Very well. You may join. I'd like to see if you're as capable as stories go. Teclis?"

"I'll warn the guards. Might have to bring this up with my brother as well. But first, I'll take you to the shores."

 ** _"Don't think that you'll need an army."_** Hayden replied. ** _"Only one man is needed, and he's standing before you. But do what you believe is necessary."_** As before, Teclis had begun his transportation, and all three soon vanished into the light.

Leaving from the safety of the city... and into the forthcoming battle that was about to happen.

* * *

_Evening, near distant shores..._

The sun had perished. And in its stead, the moon of Mansleibb hanged over a ship, casting light in the darkness of the sea.

After much seafaring and navigating, the _Faded Silence_ and its hosts finally drew near on the shores of an Asur coastal town. Viktur watched through his spyglass and smiled insidiously at the prospects of plunder and sacrifices.

"It's time." He told to his first mate. Putting aside the spyglass, he turned around to face his crew with renewed vigour.

Every single member on the ship sans the slaves were just as bloodthirsty as the blades they carried on them. Their grins full of lust and murder reflected from the purple fires that light the ship eerily. They foregoed their armor for maneuvarability and speed, for this raid was to be a hit and run. Staying any longer would alert the Sea Guards and lead only to disaster. Gold and any trinkets were allowed, but slaves were out of the question. Killing their treacherous cousins, however, was fair game. Sindric and Saressa stood on the sidelines, with his lieutenand leading the excited crew and his sister standing idly with her staff in hand.

"Our time has come, my brothers!" He announced. "As we reach further to our most hated kin, we shall wet our blades with their blood! Relieve them of their precious treasures! And make music with their screams! Loud enough so that Khaine could finally sleep in peace! For we are the Druchii! The true sons and daughters of Naggaroth! And on this night, we shall turn the waters red as we slaughter the usupers like the cattle they are!"

_The Cove Battle - Darkest Dungeon OST_

The crew cheered on and cried for the blood of their cousins to sate their vengeance. Viktur's grin turned to that of a predator setting sights on his prey.

"Raise the sails! Ready the bolt throwers and cannons! Light 'em up! And prepare to soften the sheep! For the slaughter shall begin!" He ordered with enthusiasm. His men did as they were told. They began furling the sails, and mounted the bolts with dhar-enchanted fire, while the cannons were armed and ready. The corsair captain suited up and wore the signature helm of the Black Ark Corsairs. The sight of it would strike fear into the hearts of those who gaze upon it, for it was the symbol of the terrors of the sea.

While as much as he would like to join the skirmish, it was high time that he stayed in the background for once, and let the crew revel in the glory. Still, that didn't stop him from psyching them into a frenzy.

Nearing the the coastal shores, Viktur took commands again.

"Darkspears! Ballistae! Cannons! FIRE!"

On command, Dreadspears began firing while the Bolt Throwers and cannons soon followed. Explosions and black fire engulfed some areas of the town. Now it was the reavers turn.

"Deploy the boats! Make Khaine proud!" The crew hollered for blood as their boats drop to the surface of the water, and began rowing towards shore.

"This will be a wonderful sight to watch from here!" Viktur joyfully said.

"I concur, Viktur." His sister applauded. "Though, it would've been better if you had join them. I would've enjoyed scrubbing the blood from your body..."

"Another time, then..." He replied, before going behind her back and kissing on her neck sensually, fondling her breasts and putting a hand down to her snatch. She purred and moaned at his touch.

"But for now... let's just enjoy the show."

* * *

_Shore_

"Alright, you sea dogs! GET TO WORK!" Sindric ordered. The corsairs soon jumped off their boats and began running towards shore. The artillery back from the ship provided cover and allowed them to move with little resistance. Sindric's heart was pumping with adrenaline and drugs as he rushed forward with the reavers.

They reached past shorelines and began making their way towards the town. The druchii were ready to sink their blades into the traitors as the spirit of Khaine flowed in their veins.

They finally entered the city, houses were ablazed by the bolts, with some crumbling on the streets. In their fit of bloodlust, many began storming the homes and raided for whatever wasn't nailed onto the floor. Sidric and several others behind him reached the townsquare. The first mate stood on a bench near a fountain.

Seeing the entire town in fire and his crew pillaging the stores and homes while screaming bloody murder was a much needed recreation from being away at sea.

And yet, something was off. There was something missing. A raid like this is missing a key ingredient. Somethi-

"WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYONE?!" A raider cried out. The screaming died down and everyone was now sobered up from the pent up rage. The whole crew looked to themselves with confusion, and Sidric was completely baffled by it as well.

"Something's not right here!"

"This place is a ghost town!"

"Were we already spotted?!"

The last question really hit Sindric out of the blue. How could the town be so empty when the ship and its crew silently snuck up on the Asur? As far as they knew, this should've been isolated from the rest of the island.

As he pondered and thought carefully on the answers, something in the top left corner of his eye landed in one set of his crew. Something blinking with the colour of red.

***** **BOOOOOM***

Suddenly, an explosion erupted, sending some of the men in the air and landing on the ground with missing limbs. Another explosion was set off and caused another group to go flying. Those who survived were doing nothing but screaming their heads off as they found themselves limbless in certain areas of their bodies.

Soon after, a hail of arrows began striking down the Druchii from above. However, loud banging noises were heard and some of the raiders' heads were exploding inexplicably before Sidric's eyes. Panic erupted within the remaining raiders as they searched the roof tops.

They noticed too late when a green blur landed on one of their own and immediately smashed the poor druchii's head with one single stomp.

The figure rose up and Sindric had a good view of their attacker.

Standing on top of the raider's corpse, stood an unknowable warrior. Covered in the strangest armor he had ever seen, the figure was clearly dangerous and looked formidable to the eye. However, he wielded only a gun that those monkeys carried back in the Old World. Meaning this was only one man, and there were many of his raiders.

Seething with anger at the attack on the druchii, Sindric took action.

"What the hell are you standing there for?! It's one against us! KILL HIM!" He yelled, bringing the raiders back to unbridled fury, and rushed at the lone warrior.

The stranger, meanwhile, could only make one bizarre sound from his gun. And it was the sound that would send them to their graves.

_*click-clack*_

* * *

_Rip and Tear - DOOM 2016 OST_ (And the gamerip version because of the awesome drum sequence. You know the one. :))

Doom Slayer proceeded to go **Full Auto** against a wave of Druchii running towards him. Buckshots started rending and tearing off chunks and body parts into bloody galore as they started coming at him like suicidal imps.

After finally going through boring conversations and waiting his ass off while arguing over whether to attack the ship head-on or just baiting them with Alith, patience finally paid off as he started filling these pirate scum with hot white lead. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.

A couple more went down and the rest soon scrambled and scattered to avoid getting hit from the Slayer's **Crowd Appeaser**. One rushed towards him to the left, swinging his sword overhead. Doom Slayer took notice, and parried with his **Doomblade** before throwing a haymaker. Teeth and blood went loose from the mouth, staggering the pirate, followed by a uppercut with the wristblade through his skull. Another snuck up behind only to recieve a savage backhand so hard from the Slayer, his head twisted to a full 180 degree.

More tried to flank him but Alith and his Shadow Warriors rain down arrows on their unsuspecting victims. The lure effectively put the pirates into disarray and most took cover inside the buildings.

Some retaliated with their crossbows, but missed their shots. Alith Anar hopped from one rooftop to another, nocking his arrows and hitting his targets with extreme proficiency and grace with the **Moonbow**. Doom Slayer, meanwhile, switched to the **Heavy Cannon** and started spraying the Druchii with **Micro Missiles**. Those unfortunate enough to be caught by them exploded into fine red mist as the missiles found their targets. Others even more unfortunate wailed in horror as they found their limbs missing from their bodies. Even when the pirates had large numbers to their advantage, the Doom Slayer had his with his high tech arsenal and Alith with his skills and Shadow Warriors.

Yet despite all this, the druchii's bloodlust still drove them to the edge and some managed to fearlessly charge at Doom Slayer despite instincts telling them otherwise.

One group tried to swarm him only to be doused in fire by his Flame Belcher. They writhed in agony before a grenade was tossed at their feet, ending their horrible torment.

One tried to punch the Slayer in the face, resulting in a broken arm and an even more broken skull as the Doom Slayer headbutted him in return. The druchii fell dead with his skull visibly caved in.

Alith Anar nocked several of his arrows on the druchii that crept up behind Doom Slayer before landing to the ground and switching to full melee. Both fought side by side as they fought against the Druchii that still stood.

"I suppose you were right about only needing one man for this job!" Alith commented.

 ** _"You don't know half of it."_** Hayden replied.

"Duly noted!" Alith grinned upon Hayden's boast of Doom Slayer's skill, before both prepared themselves against the onslaught.

* * *

Sindric watched the two warriors clash with his men while cowering behind a wall.

Not only did the green warrior proved to be a greater threat, but he also had THE Shadow King and his cohorts covering his back. This fight was not in the Druchii's favor. And Sidric was cursing under his breath for failing to foresee the ambush.

"Damn you, Asur!" He cursed. "This is a disaster!"

Looking to his surroundings, he noticed that still more were taking cover to avoid those two.

"All of you! Formations! Darkshards! Cover us!" He commanded. The arbalests swiftly took action and prepared to defend. Some took to the roofs and shot the Shadow Warriors, with a few hitting their intended targets. Most of them, however, launched their bolts towards the two that stood against them.

The Shadow King swiftly dodged the incoming projectiles and safely headed for cover. The green man, on the other hand, bore the brunt of the bolts.

Yet, instead of achieving an easy victory, the man still stood on his two feet, with not a single scratch on his armor despite being hit several times. And the man was visibly angry if that open helm of his was to go by. He then shot them back with several of those "fireflies" before they exploded on impact. The scene caused a decrease in morale. Some of the pirates ran for the boats, but Sidric wasn't finished with this. The darkshards gave them plenty of time to put the others in formation.

"DO NOT RUN FROM THIS! ELSE YOU WANT BLOODSONG HAVE YOUR BALLS CUT OFF AND FED THEM TO YOU! WE ARE DRUCHII! THE SONS OF NAGGAROTH! CHAAAAARGE!" Sidric yelled.

The pirates were renewed with adrenaline again and charged on command. However, they soon stopped as they witnessed a mass of warriors in shining coats and armor marching from the left view

The Lothern Sea Guard had arrived. And leading them was none other than the Defender of Ulthuan himself, Tyrion, and his brother Teclis. Alongside them, the White Lions of Chrace and presumably the town's garrison were here. The sight alone dropped the Druchii's morale entirely.

"Sons and Daughters of Ulthuan! ATTAAAAACK!" Tyrion yelled out. The Sea Guard began charging towards the remaining druchii.

Sidric took a glance back at the knight, and now realized that he had a different weapon on him. It was large and bulky, yet the man didn't seem to struggle carrying it on his hip. And the barrels were splitting to four more barrels and were spinning up.

Fight or Flight instincts were kicking in, and Sindric soon ducked for cover. He managed to avoid being obliterated by whatever weapon the man held. The rest of his druchii, however, was torn to shreds as the bullets seemingly tore them apart far faster than the bombs lobbed from before. Screaming could be heard, and the ones left standing found themselves riddled with holes and missing limbs.

Realizing the situation, Sindric ran for it and cut his losses.

"Get back on the boats! Khaine's favor is not on our side! Retreat!" He yelled to anyone left alive. By now, the whole town was swarming with Asur scum. Yet, the army was nothing compared to the sheer massacre that green man committed. And it would haunt the Druchii if they managed to survive.

_"When I'm alive and out of here in one piece, you're good as dead, Viktur!"_

Sindric cursed under his breath.

* * *

_Faded Silence_

The sound of explosions and fighting from the town was heard back on the ship. Yet, neither the cannons nor the ballistae had been active since the raiders landed on shore. Both were merely to terrorize the populace before the raiding began. And hearing noises too foreign to the Captain's ears raised several alarms. He brushed his sister aside and leaned over the railings.

"What the hell's going on over there?!" Viktur cursed. He took out his spyglass and saw that several of his druchii were running towards the boats. Many of them seriously injured and looked like they were terrified of something. Looking further back to the town he could see something vaguely shiny and moving fast.

It was only a few seconds before he saw the Asur in full view were here.

"Dammit! Of all the places we found, those whoresons were waiting for us!" He growled.

"Then we need to get outta here!" Saressa exclaimed.

"No! Not while Sindric and his men are still out there!" He refused. "Men! Prepare the artillery! Aim for the Asur! AT ONCE!"

"Aye, captain!" His crew began loading the bolts and cannonballs. The Asur were closing in but the crew were quicker and awaited further instructions.

"Orders, sir!"

"FIRE, DAMMIT! FIRE!"

In an instant, the ship's artillery began launching and hitting the town with devastating results.

* * *

_Coastal Town_

Tyrion cut down a druchii who attempted to run him through from behind. His head flew from his shoulders as Sunfang did its job. The Sea Guards and Korhil's White Lions spread throughout and began cutting down the druchii scum by the sword.

Yet, most of them either died violently or fled by the time they arrived. The work of both Alith and Teclis' mercenary had done their job clearing out the pirates. Having seen the Slayer's handiwork as he eviscerated one crowd of Druchi with a weapon far above dwarfen standards made him realize not to underestimate his brother's schemes.

Fortunately, Ulthuan was very lucky to have one settlement still standing, and it certainly was glad to be rid of pest. Now, it was simply a matter of picking off the survivors.

"To me, children of Ulthuan! To arms! FORWARD!" He yelled.

But the worse had yet to come. Sounds of explosion could be heard far off. Soon, buildings were blowing up and crumbling as the artillery from the ship made their presence clear. The damn pirates had guns and they were using it to full effect.

Everywhere, the men and women were caught in the crossfire, with many flying in the air and others crushed by the debris. Some were impaled by large bolts piercing through their bodies, leaving them to a slow and painful death. Heavy ordnance was at full volume, and there was no way those pirates will get away with this transgression.

"TAKE COVER!" He cried out.

Quickly taking cover, Tyrion sprinted and made his way towards to safety. Jumping over plenty of debris, the Defender felt his blood pump in response to the danger all around him. He quickly took cover to one of the still standing architecture left unscathed. However, one blast from the cannon knocked the top of the building, plummeting to where Tyrion was.

He looked up in horror to see it falling on top of him He tried to run but slipped. Too late, he thought, he closed his eyes in preparation of his imminent doom, only to feel something snag his shoulder, followed by a flash of light. He opened his eyes seconds later and found himself alive and untouched from debris. He looked over his shoulder and saw Teclis standing next to him, out of breathe, but smiling.

"Death hasn't come for you just yet, Tyrion." His brother said, before pulling an elixir and downing it one gulp. "Ulthuan needs its Defender."

Tyrion nodded in respect for his brother's words.

"Many blessings, brother." Tyrion thanked as he stood up and surveyed the battle. Both were far from the bombardment but still within the town.

"But this isn't over. That ship won't cease firing until all of us are dead."

 ** _"Then leave it to us, then."_** Both brothers looked behind them and saw Doom Slayer was approaching them.

 ** _"We can handle this from here. Tell your men to retreat and get to safety. Now."_** Hayden said.

"You are in no position to command me, but I see the wisdom in such." Tyrion replied.

"Prince Tyrion!" A voice called out. Looking to his right, he saw her squire Eldyra and Korhil approach them haggardly. Eldyra put a hand on her shoulder due to her injuries from the gunnery barrage while Korhil stood unharmed, albeit covered in dust, looking no worse for wear.

"The Sea Guards are under heavy fire! They await for your next orders!"

"See it to it that they retreat and be taken to the healers. I want all of them evacuated."

"The White Lions will do just that. We'll retrieve any survivors." Korhil added, recieving a nod of approval from Tyrion.

"Good. See to it. I'll deal with the ship." Tyrion ordered.

 ** _"No, this fight is his to end."_** Hayden declined. The trio besides Teclis looked stunned at the boast thrown by the invisible doctor.

"Are you insane?! Our enemy holds a man o' war class warship! That thing holds a gallery of guns on it! It's suicide!" Tyrion protested.

 ** _"I don't believe you realize the full scale of the destruction he could bring to the enemy."_** Hayden dismissed, with Doom Slayer pulling a huge weapon that he carried over his shoulder. **_"Regardless, we'll divert their attention to ours. Get as many of your men out of here as possible. We'll be back shortly."_**

"Then I don't suppose you wouldn't mind I tag along as well?" Another voice came. It was Alith Anar standing watch from behind the Slayer. Doom Slayer looked over his shoulder.

**_"How many warriors do you have available?"_ **

"Barely twenty, as of now. But knowing you, I'd say the odds are stacked against them." Alith replied.

**_"Then let's not waste anymore time."_ **

"Allow me to help as well." Teclis strode forth. "I'll act as an artillery while you reach for the ship."

 ** _"Save it for another time. Don't want casualities among Alith's men. Best you teleported some aid when we get there. We'll signal you."_** Doom Slayer began walking away, with Alith following behind. Both now sprinted towards the ship in haste, and end the bloodshed once for all.

Tyrion looked back at Teclis once more.

"I hope he knows what he's doing..." Tyrion remarked. Teclis gave small grin in response.

"Have a little faith in him, brother."

* * *

_Somewhere_ _in the burning town..._

"Come on! COME ON!" Sindric muttered to himself. The walls were crumbling and the town was ablazed with even more Dhar fire as the ship continued assaulting with heavy artillery. He ran through the streets as tried to run back to the ship for safety. Everywhere he went, debris kept crashing down on him, blocking his exit to freedom.

"Dammit! Would it kill for Viktur to at least give pause with the damn guns?!" He thought. Continuing his way through the ruined streets, he found one way that lead to shore. He soon hauled ass and began making his run. The cannons and bolts kept coming in hot, and Sindric needed to get out fast unless he wanted to join the corpsepile. A couple of shots from the ship managed to hit the structures in the direction of the corsair's path, much to his inconvenience.

Cursing Viktur, he ran with all of his strength as he narrowly avoided the falling debris around him. He could feel the fires of Dhar singeing his skin and the sound of buildings collapsing behind him. Some were getting too close for comfort and it only made Sindric more determined to escape the death trap.

Inches towards freedom, Sindric leapt forward as the buildings crumbled behind within a hair's width. He landed face first in the cool sands of the beach. He no longer felt the heat of the magical fire nor did he feel debris falling on him.

The danger was over. Almost.

Looking up with exhaustion, he saw aplenty of the crew taking off with the boats. Getting back up sluggishly, Sindric made chase again. This time, he didn't have to worry about the danger around him. Sort of.

Feeling the breeze going through him, he began laughing to himself. Whether it was relief for making out alive or madness from the slaughter back in town, Sindric couldn't care about his own well-being.

He was just laughing.

He finally arrived to the boats. One was about to take off and Sindric made it just in time.

"Sir! You're alive!

"Shut up and start rowing! NOW!" He ordered. The remaining didn't question his freakout and hastily rowed towards the _Faded Silence_. Sindric looked back and watched the whole town burn.

Burn until he didn't have to worry about the demon that slaughtered his men.

Sindric laid his head back on the boat's railing, finally taking a break from the madness.

* * *

_Faded Silence_

Viktur looked through his spyglass again. The artillery worked its charm as it presumably did the job eradicating the Asur. He saw some of his pirates had made their way to the boats. He wondered if Sindric survived. Would've been a waste to throw away a loyal subordinate like that, he thought.

Regardless, this was a disaster and it would certainly become a stain in his career. He had been through plenty before, but most could've been dealt with easily if one could adapt to the situation. Yet, seeing most of his men run for fear of something and return without spoils was an embarrassment to his career.

"Well, this isn't what I predicted, dear Saressa." Viktur commented. His sister raised an eyebrow.

"And just what _exactly_ were you predicting, Viktur?"

"That there were some losses." He replied. "A couple of the crew, perhaps. A few valuables, here and there. And supplies, even."

"But this..." He said calmly, putting the spyglass away and looked directly to his sister. "This will more than likely make me lose respect from everyone on this ship."

"And you think to tell me that I would care about your reputation?" Saressa questioned. He shrugged.

"I thought I'd share."

"Captain!" A subordinate called out. "I saw Sindric on one of the boats! He'll be here soon!"

"Excellent." Viktur replied, though no less unimpressed with the situation. "Throw down the rope ladders and see that the survivors ar-"

***BOOOOOOM***

Suddenly, the ship was rocked by an explosion in the midst of the Captain's orders. It landed on the decks below where the cannons were placed. Another shot came and this time it was was where the Bloodsong twins were. Several crewman went flying as a couple of bolt throwers were destroyed on impact. The Bloodsongs lost their footing and found themselves hitting the floor. The blast caught them off guard, and now Viktur was cursing like the sailor he was.

"What the FUCK is going on out there?! Since when did those whoresons have cannons?!"

Viktur forced himself back up and quickly pulled out his spyglass once more.

He scoured through the burning wreckage of the town and tried to locate the perpetrators. It only took a couple of seconds before he found the one responsible for the retaliation.

In the midst of the burning town, stood a lone man.

Even when he couldn't see his appearance visually-speaking, he know that this foolish idiot had the gall to attack his ship.

Incensed, Viktur took commands and ordered his men to prepare themselves.

"Get the cannons ready! This battle is far from over!" He ordered. The crew did their best to maintain discipline despite the initial setbacks.

Another blast went to the cannons below, but this time, the crew had setup most of the cannons.

"Sir! The cannons are ready! Orders, sir?"

"SHOOT, DAMMIT! SHOOT THE BASTARD TO SMITHEREENS!" Cried out another voice. Looking to where the railings were, Viktur saw his first mate climbing overboard with desperation.

"Sindric, you're alive!"

"No time to talk! FIRE! ALL THE CANNONS YOU HAVE LEFT! SHOOT THE FUCKING BASTARD!" Sindric cried as he frantically shook the crewman. Viktur would've had his lieutenant tasting the lash for disobedience but the desperation in his voice raised a lot of red flags.

"What on earth has gotten into you, Sindric?!"

"That demon killed ALL of our men! That's what happened!"

As if to further prove his point, another blast sent a shockwave in the upper decks. This time, three orbs went flying, hitting several more cannons in the process.

Now on alert, Viktur supported his first mate in just one word.

"FIRE!"

* * *

_Red Flag - Slipknot_

Doom Slayer ran straight towards the ship after dishing out damage with the **Paingiver**. The rocket launcher did well against the ship, having shot a couple of missiles at its guns.

By now, he had gotten their attention, and cannonballs began launching in his direction. Quick on his feet, Doom Slayer avoided the first few shots before dashing his way to it. More firepower kept coming at him, but his boots allowed him to effortlessly dodge the incoming projectiles.

He then pulled the **Ballista** and zoomed on one of the guns. The **Arbalest** found its targets and shot a few rounds before giving chase again. The darts themselves exploded on impact, damaging the ship even further.

The last boat had zero time to get off land, having only been drifting about at least ten rows off the beach. Pulling it out his **Super Shotgun** , Doom Slayer quickly activated the **Meat Hook** and latched onto one unfortunate soul who got caught on fire by it. He pulled the trigger and reduced what's left of the pirates on it before hopping to the next boat and then after.

The cannons took aim at the boats, not even caring for their comrades as they obliterated them to oblivion just as they desperately fired upon the elusive Slayer himself. Darkshards attempted to shoot him, but the bolts did nothing as they bounced off his armor harmlessly from him. It only served to irritate him more than outright piss him off.

Jumping from boat to boat, but not before killing the pirates onboard, the Meat Hook finally cooled down and Doom Slayer instantly shot it again at one of the Darkshards near the railings. With one final pull, Doom Slayer reeled himself towards the main deck and pulled the trigger; giving one hell of an entrance by killing the crossbowmen.

Landing on one poor soul as he smashed his head in upon landing, Doom Slayer surveyed his surroundings. Every single druchii on board looked upon him with fear and anger. Their swords drawn but not moving from their places.

Only did the voice of presumably their leader, who wore an odd-looking helm resembling a squid, culled the crew .

"Don't just stand there! KILL HIM!" He yelled. Druchii began swarming in on the Slayer. Doom Slayer began charging to one group, blasting them with the Super Shotgun to pasty gore, followed by a charged **Blood Punch** to another. The rest quickly backed off as they witnessed the brutal display he delivered. More Darkshards began reloading their crossbows and took aim for him only to be struck with arrows embedded into them from their left field of view. Doom Slayer glanced at the downed druchii to find Alith Anar and his surviving Shadow Warriors onboard.

"For Nagarythe!" Cried the Shadow King, and a skirmish on the ship soon began. Both Druchii and Asur clashed. Alith shot an arrow into one of the pirates, before standing next to Doom Slayer.

"You seem to be handling this quite well." Alith remarked.

 ** _"Leave the captain to us. You handle the pirates."_** Hayden said.

"If you insist." The Shadow King replied.

Doom Slayer aimed his shotgun towards the leader, but was struck by a bolt of purple lightning as it sent him flying backwards. He didn't lose his balance, however, and gripped with his palms to the floor beneath him. He stood back up and searched for the perpatrator. Standing between him and the captain was a scantily-clad woman wielding a staff that looked overkill in design. Like some razor-sharp christmas ornament. She had a dagger of similar quality, but that was smaller and "safer" to carry at least.

"You will pay for your indignation!" She snarled. Purple energy around her began glowing menacingly, and Doom Slayer was back on his feet in no time. He evaded her just as she casted more bolts of lightnings at him again. Each shot exploded upon impact, hitting several unaware druchii with bloody results.

Doom Slayer pulled out the **Plasma Gun** and started shooting back. Each shot was deflected as the sorceress pulled up a magical shield around her. He groaned as it reminded him of his fights against Archviles. At least he didn't have to deal with her spawning demons. That would've been a total nightmare.

Doom Slayer jumped down to where the main sail was located, and where the fight had become the most concentrated, and switched back to the Paingiver. This time, he switched to the **Remote Detonate** mod. He was interrupted by a couple of druchii but made short work of them, with one having his arm bent to unnatural degrees before the bone shard impaled him through the face; the other getting a quick slash to the throat with the Doomblade. He aimed high to the sky and waited to reach atop the tallest sail and then detonated. It exploded in the air, signalling the Loremaster to his presence. Switching back to **Lock-on Burst** , the sorceress teleported to his presence at a good timing, allowing him to lock on her. Three rockets propelled towards her. She instantly raised her shield again, although pained upon impact, as they cracked through her defenses.

"Gah! DAMN INSECT!" She snarled. Distracted, Doom Slayer launched himself towards her and landed a Blood Punch against her crippled shield. The ripple from the impact exploded the shield and the sorceress was sent flying across the floor. Doom Slayer charged towards, pulling out the super shotgun again and taking aim at her head. A darkshard interrupted him, however, and landed a bolt on his right bicep. Enraged, Doom Slayer took aim and launched an **Ice Bomb** at him along with his comrades. The bomb exploded and enveloped them with ice and snow, leaving them at the mercy of the Shadow Warriors, while breaking the bolt before pulling it out.

The sorceress wasted no time with him distracted and teleported away. Doom Slayer noticed and shot a full round at her, only to hit nothing. She reappeared on the highest position of the ship and glared down to where Doom Slayer was.

"Fool! You will now see the full might of my true powers!" She gloated. Raising a hand up towards the sky, a storm was brewing above the boat, and purple lightning began striking down on the ship, heavily. Both Asur and Druchii were caught unaware and found themselves flying off the floor or being electrocuted from lightning. Many proceeded to take cover to avoid the sorceress' elemental fury. Doom Slayer stood his ground, however, and remained undaunted by the intimidation. One lightning was ready to strike down on him, only to be blocked by a magical shield above him just as a flash of light appeared behind him. Glancing back, he recognized the twins alongside Korhil and the lady knight and several of the Sea Guard appearing.

"FOR ULTHUAN!" Tyrion yelled as he pulled out his flaming sword in the air. The Sea Guard charged and clashed with the ever dwindling Druchii onboard. Doom Slayer kept his eye on the sorceress, who was now fuming with rage by the sight of the Asur. A flash of light appeared behind him and standing next to him was Teclis.

"Need of any assistance?" Teclis asked.

 ** _"Not really. Just dealing with a mild hindrance."_** Hayden answered.

"Then allow me to help, regardless."

Doom Slayer reloaded and began to give chase while Teclis stood back, downing another elixir as he begun preparing his spells.

The sorceress, meanwhile, grew frustrated and began recklessly throwing all of her magic just to destroy the Slayer. Seeing the danger he was heading, the High Loremaster casted the **Shield of Saphery** onto the Slayer's armor, allowing him to continue on without harm as the dark magic made contact.

A pirate attempted to sneak behind Teclis, only for Tyrion to stab his brother's would-be attacker in the back.

"You should be watching your back!" Tyrion yelled.

"That's why I have you for that." Teclis replied. His brother groaned as he continued to fight the druchii. Seeing how capable Doom Slayer was handling on his own, Teclis left him to his own device and aided his brother finishing off the pirate crew.

* * *

Viktur stabbed a Sea Guard into the exposed throat as he defended for dear life. He gritted his teeth as another attempted to skewer him with a spear, only for the Asur to be pushed off the ship. Sindric, meanwhile, stabbed one in the gut and before decapitating him as he began crawling for safety with futile results.

"DAMMIT ALL! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!" Viktur yelled out in frustration. What should have been a quick and clean raid ended in disaster as his ship was now crawling with his accursed cousins. Everywhere, those rats were killing his men and it was a bloody nightmare.

That damn green man was responsible for this shitshow, and he will his head if his sister didn't get to him first. Glancing back to where his sister was, Saressa struggled to beat the man alone despite him being alone and with no allies to back him up.

This was both impossible and suicidal. How could this idiot face Saressa, a member of the Dark Convent and one of the most powerful sorceresses of Naggaroth, on his own. He prayed his sister would be done with him and get them both off of this forsaken boat.

His lieutenant interrupted his thoughts.

"Captain! We have to leave now! They're swarming the whole ship!"

"I CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT, SINDRIC!" Viktur snarled. He quickly thought of his next options. Hiding in his quarters was impossible as the glassed windows would expose his position, not to mention that the door could only hold for so long. And escaping by boat was slow as the crew was dwindling in number. Which meant only one thing.

The escape wards in the decks below.

"Captain! What do we do?!" Sindric cried. His captain turned around and placed his hands on his lieutenant's shoulders.

"Simple, Sindric!" Viktur started. "You've been a loyal lieutenant for quite some time! Therefore, you must protect me while I escape to safety!"

"W-WHAT?!" Sindric balked. "I'M NOT GONNA FEND YOUR ARSE WHILE YOU LEAVE US TO BLOODY KHAINE'S REALM! TO HELL WITH THAT! DOGSHIT OF A PLAN IS WHAT IT IS!"

"Well, let's agree to disagree!" The captain replied, just as he suddenly shoved Sindric off the rails where the fight happened below. Viktur landed on top of some crates, where the noise alerted several Asur nearby.

"Iwillhaveyoumemorializedbackhooome!" Viktur hastily said just as his lieutenant was soon surrounded by the Asur soldiers.

"VIIIIKTUUUUUUUUUR!" Sindric screamed in bloody murder, only for Viktur to escape by the time he finished.

Alone and now surrounded, Sindric held up his sword and charged towards the Sea Guard with one final yell.

* * *

Saressa held her ground as the green man kept putting pressure on her with weapons so alien to her that it would have put either the Witch King or the Hag Sorceress to shame. That, didn't stop her as she held him at bay with her own magic, though.

She could feel her own body was draining, however, as she pushed herself to fend off the intruder.

The man was relentless. His speed could beat the finest horses or the most vicious Cold Ones (or both) in a race without tiring even by the shortest distance. And the strength and brutality he delivered onto the crew was fearsome to behold. Meaning that he kept the sorceress on her toes as long as possible. And she needed to end this quick.

"Why. Won't. You. DIE?!" She yelled, blasting crystal shards out of her hands, only to hit nothing as the green man kept dodging her spells. In return, the man blast blue magical energies back at Saressa, forcing her to duck and take cover.

The man advanced closer to the sorceress. Desperate and already losing both her ground and willpower, Saressa looked to a group of pirates with command in her voice.

"You four! Distract the man while I prepare my spell! Or I'll have your skins flayed in an instant!" She ordered. They did without hesitation in fear of their superior as they charged toward the green man.

Wasting no time, she made one last attempt in a ditch effort to win. Reaching her staff towards the sky and calling upon the magic of Dhar once more, a blinding flash of purple light struck the staff's decorative head, and surged into her body. Feeling more powerful than ever, she quickly focused on the man, who had now just killed the last of the pirates used as distraction. She raised a freehand towards him as a beam of dark energy was shot out of her.

Seeing the dark energy aimed toward, the man in turn shot his own beam in return. The contact between the two power sources sent a shockwave on the ship, with some of the Asur and Druchii flying off towards the waters below in an instant. Dhar Magic clashing against Argent Plasma could be felt in the air and it was near palpable. It was a high risk that will soon turn into reward for the sorceress as she continued to blast forth the power against the warrior. Her magic was pushing back the blue beam further as green man was struggling to hold his ground; his feet slowly sliding underneath him.

Seeing her victory was close at hand, Saressa kept pushing with all her might as the magic pushed back, despite the straining in her body.

"YESSSSS!" She gleefully said, as she dawned a wicked and predatory smile upon her lips. No longer will this worm trouble this ship further, and the Asur will soon follow after.

Unfortunately, such victories were short-lived.

As Saressa was inching towards victory, she failed to notice an arrow flying towards her as it struck her on the shoulder. She lost both her balance and focus, leaving her at the mercy of the green man's weapon. The blue energy struck her body and the pain that followed was excrucriatingly agonising.

Blood was boiling, and the flesh began to cook. She screamed and screamed as she felt her entire body as if it were on fire. Her body was cooking on the inside and forcefully expanded as they reached their limit. Mercy welcomed a moment later, and what was left of the sorceress known as Saressa of House Bloodsong exploded into gore and Argent plasma, leaving no traces of her whatsoever, save for the unidentifiable flesh landing on the wooden panels.

The green giant stood over what's left of the sorceress' remains, and standing behind him was the one responsible for averting Saressa's victory..

"I figured she would be quite troublesome, Slayer." Alith responded. "No one has ever dared to fight a sorceress of the Dark Convent alone. Except maybe me, of course."

 ** _"He's killed a lot worse than this."_** Hayden replied, just as Doom Slayer admired the plasma gun's **Microwave Beam** for it's excellent purpose. **_"What's the status on the ship? Any signs of progress, I mean."_**

"Looks like we're winning the tide. But I'm certainly you made it easy for all of use. Glad to you have you on our side."

 ** _"Be glad to help."_** Hayden thanked. **_"Where's the captain?"_**

"Last I saw, he went inside. Most likely down further to get out, somehow."

**_"Which more than likely means that he has other means of escaping. Too bad it won't get him far."_ **

"Then let's make haste, shall we?" Doom Slayer nodded, and both men made their way below the decks in haste.

* * *

_Lower Decks..._

Viktur navigated his way below the decks. Sweat was starting to blind his vision and the damned helmet was getting the way. Throwing it off, he frantically looked around and tried to find the escape wards.

While he was certainly no sorcerer - because gods forbid he did as that would put him under the Witch King's sight - his sister still taught him a few tricks. Enough that allowed him to avoid persecution. And the wards were one such spell.

In the rare occasion that the ship and its crew were in peril. He and his sister would escape back home in their own household by wards marked in a secret room where no one save for the Bloodsongs knew about. Said room was specifically transmuted by his sister and it could only be open with the blood of a Bloodsong.

How fortunate it was that Viktur was one himself.

He searched around the decks, passing by slaves that were still chained to the wall, and moving about as he searched for the hidden room.

Eventually, and hastily, he found the hidden passage of where the escape wards were with a symbol on it. Excited, he made a small cut on his hand and placed it over the symbol.

The passage magically opened on itself, revealing the wards on the floor where the Viktur stood over, giving him a sense of relief. All he had to do was to repeat the process over with the magical ward as well.

 _"Shame my sister won't come along. Most likely dead, I think. But there's plenty of fish in the sea."_ He thought.

His thoughts were soon interrupted as heard footsteps behind him.

"Drop the weapons. Hands where I can see them." A voice behind Viktur said. Freedom was so close and now he had to deal with more inconvenience.

Slowly, he dropped his weapons on the floor and turned around, where he was now standing face-to-face with his still battered and bruised, but very much alive lieutenant holding a crossbow aimed at his abdomen.

His heart beating rapidly, Viktur forced a smile upon his lips opposite of Sindric's deep scowl.

"Sindric, you're alive! And I am so glad to say that I have managed to find our escape! So allow me to help you get us out and then we-"

Sindric raised the crossbow close to his former captain's face.

"Cut the shit, Viktur." Sindric interrupted. "Those words aren't going to get you anywhere. I know about the wards, and I know where it'll take you. So do us a favor and get me the fuck out of here!"

Viktur's heart sank, realizing his secret was found out after all.

"One question: you won't keep kill me once we escape, correct?" Viktur meekly asked.

"Keep it up, and you won't wait for long." Sindric threatened. The captain gulped, but relented.

"Fine, fine." Viktur accepted. Sindric gestured him to start, to which the captain eagerly did. Placing his blood onto the wards, the light began glowing around it, and his lieutenant soon shoved Viktur aside with a grin on his face. Viktur took the opportunity to shove him on top of the wards as soon as Sindric was distracted. Quickly, he grabbed his sword and thrusted it into his former lieutenant's right shoulder.

"F-Fucking bastard!" Sindric howled. "I'll get you for this!"

"Sorry! But I'm afraid you were too clever by a _half_ to be decieved like this!" Viktur mockingly replied. Just as Sindric tried to curse back, the ward was activated and what became of Sindric's upper half was now writhing and flailing about in agony somewhere in Naggaroth much to the panicking of several druchii nearby, before dying just as he cursed Bloodsong's name. The lower half meanwhile remained on the _Faded Silence_ , right where the captain stood over.

Viktur felt relief again as he escape certain death, once more. He only made one step to freedom before a sudden blast landed on the secret doorway that made him jump back in surprise, crashing into the floor again. Quickly looking back up, he saw the green giant had his gun aimed right at him. Up on his feet, he ran for his dear life down further into the decks below, while the Slayer kept up and placed a shot after shot of each round missing its target.

On purpose.

* * *

_Chambers..._

Gwen heard the explosions inside her room. She did not know if she was hallucinating until the boat suddenly rocked violently up on impact the second time. She wasn't sure if this was some sort of rescue or simply trading off one prison for another.

If it was the latter, then she prayed they killed her immediately.

It had been too long since anything happened on the ship. She hadn't seen the light of the sun. Or the chill air brushing her skin. Or even looked at herself.

She thought that by offering to service the ship, she could finally free both herself and her beloved Mathelin of their bondage if they met the druchii's standards.

It was all for naught as she soon realized that "servicing" them was the worst offer she could have made.

First it started with the captain. Then his lieutenant. And then his crew.

Their hands. Horrible hands. She could feel them digging into her skin as they forced inside her repeatedly, while teeth bit through her flesh like meat. The knives that cut her backside wer still as fresh and raw in her memory.

And then there was that witch, who toyed with her with her magic; torturing her with visions of her father... violating her in the worst way imaginable. This was not true, for her father never dared to commit such a heinous act. And yet, it seemed real enough to have happened.

And it probably did.

So when she finally had enough of the pain they inflicted on her, she broke the deal. They in turn killed Mathelin before her eyes. Cutting his head off before it rolled in front of her. Right where she laid bare the horrific scars in front of him.

She screamed for him in despair, before turning her anger at the whoreson that was captain. In response, Viktur gleefully grabbed Math's head and shove it in front of Gwen to force her to kiss his now dead lips. She was broken beyond comprehension, and wae sent back to the dark room that she had been forced to live in. The crew would come in every once in awhile, forcefully relieving themselves inside of her. The witch tortured her some more, this time with a hallucinations of Mathelin as he blamed her for his death while carrying his head in one hand.

And it was rightly so. For all the good that Gwen had attempted, it was but a sham that she walked in. And she paid it with her own broken body.

But lately, she had gotten fewer visits as time passed. She didn't know how long. Even with what happened the other night, it ceased for quite a bit.

Until he came. Viktur had personally delivered a message to her, promising her that she'll be in the hands of another monster. But what good was a promise for? To offer herself another cycle of torment, or to break it for one's selfish desires?

She had nothing to live for. She would rather die immediately than be thrown to another horrible being.

So to finally hear the sounds of fighting upstairs finally gave her peace. Hopefully, she didn't have to suffer the same humiliation as before.

All she needed was for Death to arrive on her doorstep, and end her suffering. She just had to keep watch on the door in front of her, and wait for it.

Heavy footsteps approached her door, and the sight of it opening loudly before it slammed shut immediately had her slowly perk her head up a bit.

Standing in front of her was Viktur, who seemed to look around frantically for something. He instantly recognized the drawers to his left, and immediately went to it and pushed it in front of the door. Looking back, he noticed Gwen was still lying on the floor. He walked up to her and grabbed her from the floor in a harsh manner.

 _"Change of plans, whore! I have a better position waiting in store for you!"_ He whispered, with none of the polite manners that he once had in his voice, before pulling out a dagger and placing it on her neck. It wasn't close as she had expected. Not so much as any contact with her skin.

There was a loud banging on the door and an angry voice. it was Taryn's voice that was yelling outside.

_"Dammit, captain! Let me FUCKING in!... W-Wait. Wait! Let me live! T-The captain's inside that room! W-With a whore in there! That's all I know! B-But you can arrest me! Please, I can cha- wait. What are you doing?! P-Please, NO-"_

***BANG*** *thud*

The sound of what was presumably a gun could be heard from the other side of the door, which meant two things: either it was the Men of the Empire, or more pirates. If it was pirates, then she hoped they were merciful and give her the killing blow.

Silence came, and then footsteps came. They were slow but loud to intimidate on their own. Another brief pause of silence followed, before the door swung open with so much force that the drawer broke in half upon impact as both parts flew off in different directions. It made the captain jolt and almost pressed his dagger to her throat.

Despite very little light entering her prison, Gwen had adapted to the darkness for so long that she could even see the dark corners of her confinement. And what she could see standing before her frightened her.

Standing in front of the door, was a man whose size nearly dwarfed the captain in comparison. Adorned in perhaps the strangest armor, the man's appearance could be akin to that of an otherworldy Grail knight, with the height and musculature of one of those savage northmen she had heard about.

Looking to his hands, Gwen noticed an equally strange weapon, yet he carried it much like a gun. It had a reddish copper hue, with bulky attachments unlike anything she had seen. It looked far too heavy to be carried by any ordinary Empire men.

But what was most unusual were his eyes. She could clearly see his eyes underneath his helm. And they were **angry**.

Unblinking and perpetually blank. The man didn't even so much as shift his brows to any other emotion except for rage.

Her heart sank deep as she now realized that the Warriors of Chaos had invaded the ship and she was going to be a prisoner under her new wardens, and hoped that they killed her shortly.

"Stay away from me! Or I'll kill the bitch!" Viktur threatened with futile effort; his voice cracking under pressure, desperation and fear.

"I see Saressa didn't get you! First my glory, then the men, the ship, and now my sister! What do you want that you've already taken from me?!"

The man stood motionless. Not even wincing under the captain's panicked yelling. It only frustrated the druchii further.

"ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!" Viktur yelled. This time the man moved suddenly and so quickly as he now aimed the weapon at face level. Fear gripped the druchii's heart and pressed the dagger deep against her throat. Gwenivar could feel the cold steel push further down her skin, almost to trickle droplets of blood under a shallow cut.

"I-I mean it! She will die!" Viktur yelled. It was at this moment that Gwenivar Sanguine would die on this day, and her passing had finally come to her.

And for the first time since she had become a prisoner to these monsters, she found her voice.

And pleaded.

_"...p...pl-please...ki...kill...me..."_

The man seemed to understand her. Whether it was out of pity or not, he granted her wish. And pulled the trigger.

***BANG***

A scream came after. But not from her.

She thought that she had finally passed away from the mortal world, screaming all the way as she entered. But it was not to be.

Gwen felt hands on her. Not the hands of those twisted monsters that forced themselves onto her repeatedly; but one who held her with delicate care and tenderness. She opened her eyes and realized that the man had been holding her. Confused, she looked back to where the screaming was. And lying on the floor was Viktur Bloodsong, wailing in horror as he clutched onto what used to be his swordarm, now turned into a bloody stump at the elbow, with only sinew and skin flaps still connected to the forearm.

The armored man soon set her aside in the hands of another person. This time, it was an elf. A druchii. However, unlike the pirates, this one had much more noble features and wore armour befitting of a knight. His skin was pale but more natural unlike his barbaric kin.

"Are you all right?" He asked in Reikspiel. It was a language she recognise but not in her native tongue. Still, it did not matter.

She was speechless, but then noticed something in the corner of her eye. She glanced over and saw four figures walking over to her. Each of them wore the same suit of armor, with several types of heraldries adorned on their mantles. And then she noticed their hair and ears on two of them.

They were the High Elves. And she realized now that they had come to rescue her from her captors.

One walked forth; he wielded a staff and seemed oddly frail and weaker compared to the others. Especially in comparison to the one with a lion's pelt over his shoulder.

"You are in safe hands, sweet child." The elf assured. His smile easing her as did his voice soothe her.

"Do you speak Reikspiel? Or Bretonnian?" He asked.

"...Br...Br-Bretonnian..." She answered. The elf nodded curtly.

"I see." He said simply.

Another howl of pain followed and everyone looked back to see the armored man now standing over Viktur, who this time found his left leg bent to unnatural degrees. It seemed like he was trying to get away only for her savior to stop him from doing so.

"I believe you should be elsewhere." The frail elf suggested. Gwen kept her eyes on the downed pirate before slowly looking back to the Asur.

"...N-No..." She answered. "I-I... need... to see this... once and for... all."

The Asur looked with uncertainty, as did the others, but relented.

"If you insist." He said, respectfully. The dark-haired elf helped her walk towards the scene.

Now, the event was starting. Her knight stood over the now feebled pirate with little resistance. He soon pulled out a gun seemingly out of thin air. He aimed it towards Viktur's face, who was now begging and crying for mercy. He pressed the barrel against the druchii's forehead, slowly. Viktur kept pleading for his life as he was now at the mercy of the green knight.

After a few tense moments, the knight took the gun off of his face for no reason.

Suddenly, he spoke up with coldness in his voice.

 ** _"You're not going to die with a bullet in your head..."_** He said. Viktur looked surprised and seemed relieved at first.

**_"...but you're going to wish it did."_ **

Soon after, the knight pulled out something far more vicious than anyone had ever seen.

It had the markings of a sword, but bulky like his previous gun and far more brutal to behold. The handle was a large yellow box with a blade sticking out at the front, while the blade itself had "teeth" on its edges.

The knight pulled something on the side of it, which soon made a growling noise akin to that of a wolf's snarl, which then roared in anger just as its teeth began moving at horrifying speeds. Viktur reeled in horror at the fate he would recieve.

"W-Wait, wait! NonononoAAAAAAGHHH!

Raising the weapon over his head, the knight quickly slammed it down onto Viktur's stomach, and what followed would haunt everyone's sleep thereafter.

Screams followed as his sword began ravaging the druchii's innards. Viktur attempted to claw his way out but found his nails gone as he scraped too hard on the floor. He attempted to push it off with his one remaining hand, only for it to be eviscerated as well as the teeth sliced off his fingers to oblivion.

The knight then pulled it up towards his chest, tearing the flesh and organs along the way. The pain must have been so unbearable that Gwen could see Viktur biting off his own tongue, before his teeth shattered under pressure. His voice went from screams of agony to something not even _human_. It was too similar to that of a swan and it went on like that for what felt like hours despite seconds passing.

The blade came up towards the neck, which ceased the screaming entirely, before the knight went up further towards the chin, and then the head; obliterating everything in the process.

The "sword" ceased roaring and the knight yanked it off; leaving behind what was perhaps the most gruesome scenery put on display. Every single Asur present displayed so many emotions in what they had witnessed.

"F-Fucking hells, Slayer..." The tallest elf muttered, trying his damnedest to comprehend what he had seen. The female Asur put a hand over her mouth, attempting to control her breathing even as she began tearing up. The one with the golden armor behind Gwen soon began vomiting at the revolting display.

The only ones who showed little emotions were both the kind Asur and dark-haired fellow. The former visibly shaken based on his hand on his staff, and the latter giving no more than an eye twitch.

As for Gwen, her simple response was to simply walk right up to the displayed carnage. She simply ignored the warrior and stood before Viktur's corpse.

She gazed upon her former captor's ravaged body.

All the times she spent on the ship, being the plaything of those pirates; being humiliated with so much depravity scarred onto her body, and forced to watch Math die for her cowardice.

It was finally over.

She knelt down on her knees. She continued to stare at the corpse, before her eyes trailed off to the dagger once grasped by Viktur's hand.

Not missing the chance, she quicky grabbed it off his hand and began stabbing onto Viktur's remains repeatedly.

Each strike she felt her emotions ramp up immediately. All the rage that faded from her returned with a vengeance. The first few stabs were done in grunts, then came the yelling, and then the screams.

All of her anger, now channeled into her fists as she continued to stab into the monster she forced herself to bargain with.

Herself. Mathalin. Their love. Their future. All gone. Save for the rekindled vengeance.

Eventually, her screams turned to that of wailing. Tears poured out of her eyes as she began crying, and her innate need to lash out on the dead druchii faded.

Until finally, she stopped.

All the pain, the torture, and the turmoil she had been through, had finally reached its end.

She weeped as her cheeks were stained with dried tears. Only did the touch of something furry had been placed gently on her shoulder did she noticed. She looked up and realized it was the armored man.

The man's eyes had shifted from rage to that of compassion. She had been initially shocked by his appearance, and then horror when he brutally killed Viktur. But now, all of a sudden, this man had shown a gentle side to him as he carefully laid a blanket on her and then picked her up from the bloodstained floor.

 ** _"Are you alright now, ma'am?"_** He asked. Despite the frigidness in his voice, there was softness in it that made her feel at ease.

She nodded, stiffly. Only a blink responded in return. The man then guided her outside where the Asur cleared out to give them space. Leaving her prison for the first time.

The man then stopped and turned to the frail Asur.

**_"We'll have to discuss the plans later, Teclis. Right now, we'll need to free the slaves. Until then, we have much to talk about."_ **

"Understandable, Hayden." Teclis said. "Thank you, Doom Slayer. Both of you may leave."

Hayden? Doom Slayer? Was that the warrior's name? It was a strange name. Suddenly, Gwen was lifted off her feet and carried in his arms. It surprised her even more.

He continued walking. Never stopping as he reached towards the stairs.

But by now, she felt... at peace.

She closed her eyes and rested on his shoulder.

For the man that saved her was her knight in shining armor.

"M-Merci..."

* * *

"M-Merci..." The girl said, before resting on him.

Doom Slayer remained emotionless at the gratitude. But deep down, he appreciated the words.

After dealing a huge blow to the Dark Elves, the battle that ensued was rewarding on its own. Too long had he been without bloodshed, to the point of going mad from withdrawal. So to finally let loose in his element was both thrilling and comfortable.

As for the Druchii; seeing the destruction they had wrought may have been nothing compared to the likes of demons, it certainly made his blood boil to unimaginable proportions. And to see those slaves left shackled to the walls; wasting away from broken spirits and malnutrition made him all the more vicious with his rampage.

And then seeing the girl be used as a human shield; covered in some of the worst mutilations he had ever seen on a human body, was the last straw for him. He didn't waste away the moment he had the Heavy Cannon's **Precision Bolt** activated before he blasted the whoreson's arm by the elbow. And he certainly didn't mind taking his sweet time revving up the **Chainsaw** before he gave the whimpering cunt a taste of his own medicine.

Demons may have been the greatest existential threat to the entire universe, but there are still monsters that play second fiddle to them.

And once he's finally done, he'll be damned certain that they dig their own graves first. Because he's got every bullet with their names on it.

Each and every **one** of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! That's the final chapter of 2020!
> 
> I'll be back with more, next month! But for now, have a safe and Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year!


	5. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Happy New Year to all of you! And I've returned with another chapter!
> 
> This chapter is quite short, unfortunately, but I will return with another at some point.
> 
> However, I will be focusing on college at this point and will continue when I have the spare time to work for my enjoyment.
> 
> Anyways, leave a review as always! Enjoy!

_Faded Silence_

Doom Slayer exited the deck where he was met with a sombre scene of a victoriouw battle. The Sea Guard was able to suppress the pirates to submission, with many of them now at the mercy of the Asur; their hands tied to their backs.

Several of the guards gave leeway for him as he carried the Bretonnian towards safe shores. The defeated pirates - or what's left of them - looked at the Slayer with fear in their eyes; some averting their gaze when he stared back. The Asur, meanwhile, gave a look of admiration and respect from their faces as he passed by; showing their gratitude to him when he turned the tides. Of course, there was the occasional sneer and disdain from certain individuals, but the Slayer's work outweighed the petty feelings.

Hayden activated the portal in front of Doom Slayer; leading only to the shoreline. There, he was greeted by Alarielle and her handmaidens approaching.

"Oh no..." Alarielle muttered with worry as she saw the woman he carried; quickly pacing towards him. Worry soon turned to horror as she examined the extensive injuries that were found upon the girl's body.

Alarielle looked back up at Doom Slayer's face, which now revealed sullen but still angry eyes behind his visor.

 ** _"There are more back on the ship."_** Hayden chimed in. **_"We will be heading back to town now. I take it that there are healers established over there?"_**

"Y-Yes, Hayden." She answered with composure. "We have set up tents and resting areas for the wounded. But we'll take her from here."

Doom Slayer nodded. Carefully, he took her off his hands slowly; allowing her to stand up a bit. The girl understood the gesture but kept her hands on him as she pulled herself together and took some steps in. She kept her hand on Doom Slayer's even as she was capable of standing up for herself before she hesitantly let go and was soon embraced by the Everqueen. Alarielle greeted her first with a warm smile.

"It's alright, little one." She assured the Bretonnian. "Here, you will suffer no more."

The girl nodded before Alarielle looked back to some of her guards.

"I will need volunteers to retrieve any survivors from the boat. Any willing to take up the task?"

A couple of them had stepped forward with duty in mind.

"See to it, then," Alarielle ordered. The few handmaidens detached, while the others remained to their Everqueen's side. Alarielle gently caressed a hand on the girl's cheek. The girl shuddered at the touch but remained passive knowing Alarielle was no Druchii.

"What is your name, little one?" Alarielle asked. The girl was straining to form the words in her mouth, but Alarielle remained patient for her.

"... G-...G-Gwenivar... Gwenivar Sanguine." The girl answered.

"A Bretonnian, then." Alarielle remarked.

"Well, Lady Sanguine, you will be in good hands. Until the day comes when you are ready to leave, you will be under my care." Alarielle comforted. Gwen nodded again. This time, she dawned a small but faint smile on her lips. Alarielle laid her eyes back towards Doom Slayer, who never took off his on Gwenivar.

"I thank you for defending our home, Slayer." She thanked. "Is there anything I can do to further help you?"

Doom Slayer shook his head. He then proceeded to check the ammo count on his guns. The ammunition was running low at the moment, save for the BFG and the Unmaykr. Had the dark elves been demons, he wouldn't have worried too much about running out of ammo and just enjoy turning demons into resource pinãtas. Fortunately, he had made modifications to increase the count once the fortress came back.

With little to do here other than allow the elves to clean up, Hayden opened up a portal again. This time, back to the fortress.

 ** _"Thank you, Everqueen. We'll take our leave now."_** Hayden said.

"Have a good evening, Hayden." Alarielle replied. Doom Slayer soon departed, but not before taking one last glance back at Gwenivar, who soon took notice and a sense of longing had been reflected on her expressions. Eventually, he entered and the portal closed behind him; disappearing without a trace.

This left Alarielle, Gwenivar, and the Handmaidens on the beach. The Everqueen looked back at the fragile Bretonnian with concern.

"Come," Alarielle suggested. "We'll see to your wounds."

Gwenivar nodded and complied, both now walking back to town followed by Handmaidens.

* * *

_The Tower of Cold_

In the Land of Chill, neither blade nor arrow could match the penetrating power to pierce the souls of the weak-willed than the Witch King's gaze.

And his gaze set themselves upon the laughable skirmish that occurred on a small town in Ulthuan. The daemon inside Malus was quite descriptive and informal, albeit agitated, when prodded about for information on this mythical warrior.

And what he received from the daemon matched the very description of the so-called "Doom Slayer" just as Malekith watched the knight cut through the corsairs with ease through his witch-sight. The warrior was certainly no pushover. The damage he inflicted was devastating to those wastes of skin, but what caught Malekith's attention the most were the bizarre weapons that the Slayer wielded in battle.

No doubt they were guns as he recalled, but the fact that they could hold so much "ammunition" without the need to stand idle and refill in one sitting was a testament to both dwarfen and human advancements in technology.

And even without the guns, the warrior's battle prowess was unmistakable and far more brutal than even those Norscans that attempted to raid his kingdom from time to time. The fighting style reminded the Witch-King of his youth. When he was still a son of Ulthuan; dedicated to eradicating the hordes of Chaos from his ancestral home.

The sheer bloodlust and scent of copper in the air was all too fresh in his memory. The ferocity on the battlefield was thrilling; in some ways, esctastic even. Not of the accursed slaaneshi variety, but a rewarding feeling no less. Now, while by no means rusty - still in prime shape thanks to millennias of Dhar magic coursing through his veins - the strain in keeping the druchii on a tight leash and defending his seat from both outside and inside his domain gave him little time to practice his swordsmanship. However, the sheer magnitude of violence that was shown rekindled the flame that was long buried and forgotten inside him. Now, it was stirring and roaring with cries for blood and combat.

The blood of Aenarion had reawoken. And Malekith would relish it when the barbarians come crashing through his doors. All thanks to this knight.

However, his ever careful-pragmatism sought to keep his excitement in check and remind him of the present danger. For all of his admiration for the Doom Slayer, he also had to be wary of the threat he posed. On the one hand, the provided evidence he had witnessed could potentially be used against the daemons of Chaos. Based on Tz'arkan's reaction and madness, this warrior would prove himself valuable to the Witch-King's army.

On the other hand, it was clear that the Doom Slayer was no friend to the Druchii. What's worse was that he made himself clear that he already made himself a clear cut ally to the Asur, much to Malekith's disdain. This would prove difficult to have the Slayer switch allegiance to Malekith's side. And if the daemon's words to go buy, no amount of riches nor woman will sway him to the Witch-King's cause.

Which meant that he'll have to resort complete domination over the mythical knight. Whether through strength or magic.

Malekith could only stroke the chin of his mask as he watched the aftermath of Doom Slayer's rampage. Such anger and hate in his movement would nonetheless be useful provided that he could tame him. For every beast captured would come to break and submit to his will... eventually.

For all of his carnage, there was an odd sense of compassion for the weak-willed races. It seemed as if the Slayer had some sort of connection with a freed slave, even. Curious, but trivial.

He soon took his eyes off from his witch-sight as the sound of his doors opening to his chambers brought his attention. Standing before him was Malus, now recovering from his daemon's brief possession. Beside him was Kouran and three other guards; all of whom keeping a trained eye on Darkblade, who was harmlessly pinching the bridge of his nose by this point.

"Milord", Kouran started, "the sorceresses were able to quell the daemon inside Darkblade. What are your orders?"

 **"You may take your leave."** Malekith waved off. **"I will deal with Malus from here."**

Kouran bowed with his usual stoicism, though Malekith could see him faintly attempt to protest but knew better than to question his lord. The rest of the guardsmen followed suit and left. Only Malus remained in Malekith's presence; visibly strained from the possession but attempting to shake it off.

 **"How is your head, Malus?"** Malekith asked, showing no hint of concern except only for loyalty. Malus continued to clutch his head but responded well.

"Feels as though I had been rammed through a wall more times than it is reasonable, right after getting pissed with black wine." Malus responded, followed by a short apology. Malekith could care less about verbal vulgarity (except when it's too far) and ignored it completely.

 **"Good. At least I don't have to replace you with a less-than-desired candidate. I can only imagine the number of successors I have to keep replacing before I fully absorb Hag Graef to my own."** Malekith commented; hiding little in his condescending attitude towards the Dreadlord. Malus could only grumble, but remained tight-lipped about it.

"Forgive me, my liege." Malus apologized, albeit half-hearted. "This is not the first time the daemon wrestled for control and won. But I have never had this complication before compared to other times."

Malekith could only let a slow breathe escape his mouth.

 **"Don't torment yourself over** **such."** Malekith replied. **"I don't expect you to be rid of the daemon so quick. You've managed it before, and you'll manage it again. What I _do_ expect, however, is to make this be the last incident that involves callous missteps. Remember that, Malus."**

"As you will it, my king." Malus replied. Malekith turned away and walked to the balcony.

 **"You are dismissed."** Malekith said. Malus soon departed immediately, not wanting to be the target of his king's ire. Malekith was now by himself. His mother already teleported back to her tower, while Hellebron returned to Har Ganeth along with her followers by mundane transportation.

Good, he thought. For he needed the time to calculate the probabilities of his inevitable fate with the knight. There will be no distractions, this time. Especially with Morathi gone.

* * *

_(WARNING: Morathi being Morathi as usual)_

_Tower of Prophecy_

"Oh goooooods!"

Morathi was spent from the constant rubbing from her fingers. She was now sweating from self-indulgence and heaved her exposed chest with swelled satisfaction as she watched Doom Slayer slaughter the corsairs like cattle on her bed.

Against all odds, the musclebound warrior somehow managed to be a force of reckoning despite being alone against an entire ship's worth of raiders. And that was before the traitors jumped in and cut down the rest. But even then, the Slayer handled those worthless worms effortlessly.

He was cunning, brutal, and very crafty with his mayhem. His weapons too alien to the eyes but dangerous nonethless.

This was further demonstrated when he invaded the ship. Gods, the speed and reflexes he had were supernatural. The more she kept watching the fight, the hotter and sensitive she felt down her loins. She unconsciously rubbed vigorously until she finally came right around the same time a sorcerous exploded into bloody galore; juices flowing and spraying all over the mirror's reflection. The whole event exhausted her, and her interest in him became infatuation.

"The wonders you could do to me! I _must_ have you!" She thought aloud. She was alone in her room with a mirror facing towards her.

Just the thought of him aroused her again with interest; both from a strategic value and for other... purposes.

That said, it would be foolish of her to believe he will be swayed by her beauty alone. A man like him whose sole purpose was war and battle would make a terrible lover.

And what better way than to cast binding wards and seals to make room for such delightful activities?

However, time will tell if he'll be within her clutches. Perhaps he'll come knocking on her doorsteps, even.

_"What is mine, I have. What is not, I'll have it. And that includes you, my dear Slayer. No matter how..."_

* * *

_The Faded Silence_

The ship, formerly owned by druchii corsairs, was now being manned by the asur, drifting towards the nearby docks to be emptied of its content. Both for supplies and its crew.

"P-Please, we've already surrendered! You can't do this!" A druchii pleaded.

"Let the dead be the judge of that." Replied the Shadow King as his archers executed the pirates with their arrows. Alith walked forward then after as the last of the scoundrels fell beneath his feet; looking on with complete disgust by their existence. He turned his attention towards the Princes.

"There," Alith said. "The matter has been settled."

"For the time being." Tyrion spoke up. "This won't be the last time the druchii will land on our shores."

"Indeed," Alith agreed. "I'll have to increase surveillence immediately."

"My thanks, Alith. Your aid was of much needed respite."

"I am honored, Prince Tyrion. But it was Doom Slayer and Hayden who sent warnings to you." Alith corrected. "Were it not for them, we might have been too late to save this town."

"Which thankfully has been averted." Teclis jumped in. "Besides the damages on the town's infrastructure and Sea Guard casualties, we were able to save the people here from a grisly end. I could only imagine what the cost of our failure would be had we not foreseen this."

"Right, him..." Tyrion trailed off. Teclis could only roll his eyes at his brother's response.

"Brother, you could at least give them the honorifics. It was they who-"

"I know that, Teclis." Tyrion interrupted. "It was admirable of them to hold the line before we arrived. However, my doubts about them have change for the worse."

"Worse? How so?" Teclis asked. Tyrion could only shake his head.

"Don't be so dim, Teclis. Do you not remember how he killed the captain? How horrific he had taken his time to make the druchii suffer under pain of death? It was as if he enjoyed mutilating the enemy before sending them off to the Pale Queen's realm."

Tyrion looked back at Alith. "You saw it as well. Surely, of the times you've hunted in Naggaroth, this was something even you could not stomach!"

Both Asur looked at the prince; not saying a response as they contemplate at what happened earlier. Despite the smooth alliance, they knew what Tyrion meant about the Doom Slayer. For all his help, Doom Slayer was a man of violence. He relished the thirst of combat to an almost excessive degree. Such traits would be too similar to the savage worshippers of the Blood God.

Alith was the first to respond.

"As much as I hate to admit, Teclis, your brother does make a point. Despite being of great help, Doom Slayer seems to possess an uncanny resemblance to the Norscan Bersekers..."

Teclis tried to speak up, but Alith raised a hand.

"However, he still has done more good for us and seems to be more than a simple minded brute. I would even say that he has a sense of... "humanity"... as far as human sayings go, to know the difference between the innocent and the truly wicked."

Alith looked straight into Tyrion's eyes without hesitation.

"In other words, Doom Slayer is a friend to Ulthuan."

Teclis could only sigh in relief at Alith's speech. Tyrion, meanwhile, still expressed his doubts but remained respectful of the Shadow King's opinion.

"Very well, if that is what you believe I will not stop you."

"Thank you, Tyrion." Alith replied. Soon after, Tyrion's squire, Eldyra, approached the three princes.

"Milord, a couple of the Everqueen's handmaidens have arrived to rescue the slaves. They would like permission to come aboard."

"Permission granted. Allow them entry." Tyrion ordered. Eldyra bowed and quickly made her way back to the handmaidens. Suddenly, a bright blue portal appeared before the three. Doom Slayer returned, reloading one of his weapons on the left side before cocking it with the grip. The weapon disappeared after, leaving Doom Slayer empty-handed, but much more than ready for his next mission.

**_"Greetings, Princes."_ **

"Greetings, Hayden. Doom Slayer." Teclis replied. "I presume everything is in order?"

 ** _"Correct."_** Hayden answered. **_"_** ** _When shall we be leaving? My companion is rather eager to get things going."_**

"We are still deciding." Alith answered. "We are currently prioritizing the supplies and rebuilding. The slaves onboard need to be taken care of, and we need preparations for voyage."

 ** _"A sound plan,"_** Hayden remarked. **_"But time is of the essence. While I do understand the focus on civilians, Doom Slayer is not one for idle hands. The quicker we are to resolve the problems, the faster we set course."_**

"Dr. Hayden," Teclis started. "I can see where you're going but precautions must be made before you set off to Naggaroth. It is by no means a safe journey. You could wind up dealing with pirates or worse, a hydra or kharybdis." He explained.

 ** _"Then teleportation will do. I can set coordinates and we'll be there in no time."_** Hayden concluded. This only elicit a headshake from the loremaster.

"As convenient as that would be, Naggaroth's magical defenses are nigh impenetrable. Even if you do succeed, there's the likelyhood of raising the alarms."

"I can back Teclis with that claim." Alith answered. "In my years spent infiltrating and routing druchii forces, I can tell you that the magic they possess is a bigger threat to you alone. The sorceress here was one example. Although, everyone else is most likely fair game."

Doom Slayer's only response was to straighten his back while crossing his arms. Alith smirked.

"Buuut I take it this will not be the first dance you've had before." Alith remarked. Doom Slayer shaked his head, much to Alith's amusement.

"Regardless of his flings, I will leave this to you three your own time." Tyrion said. "I will take my leave now. The men will need my guidance. Farewell."

"Take care, brother." Teclis said as Tyrion departed, leaving Doom Slayer, Alith and Teclis to themselves to discuss their plans; moving towards the now vacant captain's quarters.

Unberknownst to them, a handmaiden attempts to listen in on their conversation. Feliceth volunteered in an attempt to gather intel for her mistress. Of course, such a risk may blow her cover and she may have bitten off more than she could chew by this. Worse considering the Shadow King and his warriors were here; making it impossible for her to be in the clear.

Thankfully, she jumped at the opportunity of bringing the thralls back to town under the guise of compassionate qualities.

Foolish for the inexperience, but not for her.

If she could just remain inconspicuous and avoid suspicion, she'll be able to scrounge what she could find.

Meanwhile, another assailant watched intrinisically of the three men conversing; remaining hidden in darkness. The Doom Slayer made quite a buzz for himself now that he managed to not only stop a dark elf raid, but also go toe-to-toe with a sorceress and win. This would certainly impress the Lahmian Queen back home. She always had an appetite for brave and heroic knights.

Of course, gathering the details was difficult when trapped in a crossfire just as the cannons began blasting the town to dust. That proved to be a death sentence for all, but she was lucky to have survived and continued on with her job.

Now, she had to pry for information by herself. With no signs of life-threatening circumstances, at least.

Curiously, it seems that she wasn't the only spy onboard, judging by the way one handmaiden looked at the three entering the quarters. Which was too good to _not_ siphon information. It was like killing two birds with one stone, by this point.

The greater the rewards she thought.

* * *

_Hag Graef..._

The First Dreadlord of the Black Crag sat on his throne in dour mood as he listened to the riots outside of his home. Many of the denizens cried for his blood in response to his madness, only stopped by the guards protecting his home. Bitterness lingered inside Malus' head. The sudden possession and the ensuing massacre left quite a dent in the drachau's infamy.

He already hated the dark passenger in his head, but this incident left him on an even more sour note. Malus' greatest desire was to be rid of Tz'arkan once and for all so he can live the rest of his life without bother. And he needed it badly.

 ** _"I know what you're thinking."_** Tz'arkan spoke. Malus could only growl as the daemon continued to pester him once more.

"Not hear a single word from your vile tongue, Tz'arkan." Malus snarled.

**_"I said I was sorry! It's not like I was going to have a panic attack in the middle of your bloody paperwork!"_ **

Malus tried his best to ignore the daemon, but Tz'arkan continued to pester him not unlike a spurning lover.

**_"You can't seriously think you can just ignore me while impending DOOM is upon us? You are in danger! I am in danger!"_ **

"Oh cry me a river!" Malus snapped. "Even if we are in danger, I can for once feel grateful to have finally be rid of you!"

 ** _"You are not grasping the dire situation we are about to be embroiled!"_** The daemon retorted. ** _"The Hellwalker is here and we need to leave this frozen hellhole, far away as possible!"_**

Malus snorted at such cowardly compulsions. He'll never admit it, but it was unlike Tz'arkan to suddenly be so afraid of some unheard nobody. Rather than be fearful, though, Malus couldn't help but feel amused by Tz'arkan's ramblings.

**_"Don't you even dare think of laughing while I am warning you of our safety!"_ **

"Pah! 'Safety', you say? When has 'safety' ever been your favourite word?" Malus mockingly questioned. Tz'arkan's mood shifted from laughable cowardice to grim tidings.

 ** _"Let me show you..."_** Instantly, Malus was hit with a premonition. Fire and blood filled his vision, and the screams of a billion souls were singing in his ears.

But his ears did not pick up the screams of inferior races, but that of a Tz'arkan's foul brethren.

All of the most abhorrent beings to have existed unified as one. Each of the four corners of the servants of Chaos gathered in an endless horde. But there was something wrong with this picture. Many of their faces did not reveal malevolence and wicked delight. Instead, they expressed a sense of... fear.

This was a first for the Dreadlord. None of the daemons he had faced - saved for Tz'arkan - could express such primordial fears. The visions soon shifted to something else entirely. It was only then did the truth unfold in the next vision.

Standing opposite of them was not an army, but a man.

A warrior. Alone and surrounded by a uncountable daemons, with nothing but a sword and armor on his back. He wore a dark green armor that was completely unidentifiable by design, and carried a blade made of what could be described as solid fire made manifest. Yet, this same man exude the sense of dread that even a bloodthirster wouldn't dare cross paths.

In moments, the horde began rallying themselves to a fearsome battlecry before charging towards the man with malice. The man, in turn, did as well; charging in what would surely be his foolish demise. Instead, a spray of limbs and blood came. Not from the man, but the daemons.

One dead daemon turn into ten. Then a hundred. A thousand. And not long after, a million dead. By the time the battle ended, a sea of corpses had covered the lands; not leaving a single inch uncovered without mutilated guts. And standing above the red sea was the lone warrior himself.

Covered not in his blood, but his enemy's. And behind him glowed a blood red symbol. One full of rage and hate. An insignia of destruction.

No one in recorded history save for Aenarion could stand against Chaos unless united as an army.

None but him.

The visions soon stopped. Malus felt his head was about to explode as he suffered one hell of a migraine just going by looking into the visions. He almost lost his footing once he was back to reality, but kept his balance on a nearby wall. His blood was running down one passage of his nose before wiping it off with his own gauntlet.

 ** _"Now do I have your attention?"_** The daemon rhetorically asked.

"Clearly," Malus responded. "But so what? Any brave fool could stand against your cousins with such iron will."

 ** _"Not JUST any brave fool."_** Tz'arkan spoke with emphasis. **_"This man is responsible for untold eons of torment for the realm of Chaos. Long before even you and your kin existed. And before that, he had slain trillions of other daemons outside of Chaos. Far more than you could EVER imagine!"_**

"And I am supposed to be riddled with fear? Those visions mean nothing. If anything, this man is more than likely one of several misguided worms that crawl upon this wretched realm. And if we ever were to cross paths, I will cut him down with the **Warpsword** ** _of Khaine_** with hate. And with hate-"

 ** _"All things are possibleblahblahblah."_** Tz'arkan interrupted with a mocking imitation of his vessel's creed - much to Malus' ire - before sighing with bored annoyance.

**_"Really, Malus? Do you really you have to keep repeating that? Come on, now. And by the way, your "hate" is but a adolescence's hormonal phase to the likes of the Hellwalker's rage. See how that goes when you're alone in a room with him. I'll wait."_ **

Malus' skin went from pale to slight red in outrage. However, there was no way he would be able to lash out at the daemon, physically. So he simply resorted to his most common comeback.

"S-Shut up, daemon!"

 ** _"When has that ever stop me?"_** Tz'arkan proudly retorted. Malus had gotten up from his seat and made his way down the halls to where the riots were being held. Tz'arkan sighed with sincere defeat at being ignore.

**_*sigh* "Malus, the Doom Slayer is not someone you could easily trifle with on any battlefield. Chaos had the misfortune of dealing with him, and look at what's happened to us? We are but a fraction of our power and stuck on this backwater realm!"_ **

"Tragic," Malus sarcastically replied. "And what would you suggest? Have me run off to some foreign land; holding my tail between my legs?"

**_"Better you did than die a fool's death. Besides, it's probably better than pleading for your life. I've seen several dimwits try to negotiate with promises of power and pleasure. Even controlling him is a total death wish. I pity the fool who tries to ever think of using him for their own ends._ **

Malus snorted with disdain, passing by a couple of guards who paid little attention to him just as he continued his way. He climbed down the steps of his home and prepared himself.

"I grow bored of these old wives' tales." Malus complained. "Perhaps quelling the mob should mend my mind for a bit."

**_"If you think that helps, be my guest."_ **

Malus soon exited his home, where a mob had formed in front of the entrance with outrage in mind. But the Dreadlord did not seem to mind it. Whether words or blade guided him, Malus remained confident in his abilities.

Or as the saying goes..

_With hate, all things are possible!_


	6. Aftermath Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all!
> 
> I have returned with another chapter! But first, I would like to make a quick and special announcement:
> 
> KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV! KISLEV!
> 
> AAAAAAAAAHHHHH! THE MAD LADS FINALLY DID IT! THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED! Step aside, Wood Elves! The Khan Queen is here!
> 
> *cue Naestra crying while Arahan screeches*
> 
> Ahem. Jokes aside, I'm glad CA is finally giving the attention they deserve! I never thought I'd be excited for a game that I am incapable of playing due to my lack of strategic and political maneuvering. Still, I can't wait for Grand Cathay and Ind to get their own roster (if Ind ever does...), and hopefully, we can avert the End Times!
> 
> But back to the story, I can only say that this is the final chapter...
> 
> Of the first arc. Next time, we are heading straight to Naggaroth, where the Druchii clash with the armies of Khorne!
> 
> However, this will be just filler and stuff that I wanted to conclude until the Naggaroth arc ends. But hopefully, this will be the last time we'll see the Asur.
> 
> But for now, enjoy this ending!

_Captain's Quarters_

The three men put all of their focus on their approach to apprehending Malekith. After some time arguing and navigating through the dangers of Naggaroth, they finally settled with counter defences and alternate routes. Doom Slayer was leaning against a chest directly placed behind a wall near the windows; Alith was hovering over a table with a map displayed on it, while Teclis sat in a chair.

This scene would be fine were it not for the fact that the entire room looked like it was straight out of Hellraiser, Doom Slayer thought.

 ** _"So it's decided,"_** Hayden concluded. **_"We will set course in the early morning."_**

"Correct, Hayden." Teclis agreed. "Tonight's event has thrust us to push forward for Naggaroth. Plus, with the ship still in good conditions despite the damages - which can easily be fixed with a bit of magic - I'd say this will be very convenient for your travels, Slayer."

"Plus, I'll have to send messengers to alert the Shadow Warriors on the front to rendezvous with us," Alith added. Doom Slayer, out of nowhere, grabbed a piece of parchment, a feather, and ink and began writing something down, before showing it to the two.

 **Gather all of your men. We'll need some extra help.** He wrote. That raised a lot of confusion in the room.

"Help? That... doesn't sound like something you need. Unless it's sorceresses you're dealing with." Teclis remarked. Doom Slayer shook his head and continued writing it.

**Not for me. For slaves.**

"For slaves...?" Teclis asked before realization kicked in. "You desire to rescue them."

"I don't know if I can send _every_ single one of my men to rescue all of them. And the number of slaves vastly outnumber us. Not to mention, we don't have enough room to take _all_ of them by boat. If so, then we need to rob a Black Ark and be hopeful that there's enough room for them." Alith countered.

 **Then we use the portals to transport them to safety. Island may get overcrowded so we'll resort to bringing them to Earth.** He wrote. Alith huffed.

"We've already explained this: the portals will be difficult under heavy Dhar influence and I'd rather not risk your world to be in the hands of Malekith. I will not allow it." Alith continued.

 **That's why I need your men in the first place. They find shelter while the Shadows defend their positions.** Slayer wrote back. Alith scratched his left cheek as he analyzed the strategy in his stretch. For about ten seconds, he fully relented.

"Very well. Though, I'm uncertain on whether you could actually counter their magic. But I'll bring at least a third of my men." Alith replied.

 ** _"Then leave the portals to me,"_** Hayden added. **_"With the Fortress now relocated, I can access its communications and send a direct call back on Earth. My people will be notified and be prepared for extraction."_**

"I can work with that." Alith agreed. "But that still leaves us with the Dhar magic problem."

 ** _"I'll work on it,"_** Hayden assured. ** _"But not until the main objective has been complete can extraction begin."_**

"Fine by me," Alith added. "Would you like to add anything, Loremaster?"

"None that could express further provisions."

 **Agreed** **.** Doom Slayer wrote. **Morning, then?**

"Morning." Both Asur replied. The three stood up and left the quarters. They were greeted by the sight of Sea Guard and Shadow Warriors patrolling the ship while making additional repairs to it, as well as adding provisions onboard. Former slaves were being herded off the boat, carefully.

Feliceth left just in time as the slaves were being dragged out. It was a close call just as security was getting tight. Thankfully, her blessings allowed her to slip away and get her intel closely with simple scrying magic placed above her; from where the room was located. All she had to do was act inconspicuous and stand in the spot while pretending to monitor the slaves' exit.

She kept walking alongside the thralls to the false queen's encampment; avoiding eye contact with the targets just as she passed by them. Exiting the boat, she sighed in relief and relaxed her shoulders knowing her mission was successful.

As long as she kept to herself without interference, Feliceth was in the clear.

Some time passed, and after arriving at the encampment, she and her fellow handmaiden released the slaves into the Everqueen's care.

"It has been done, Everqueen." She announced in Alarielle's presence, who warmly smiled in return.

"Thank you, Fayeth. And you as well, Neia. Both of you are dismissed."

"Yes, Everqueen." Both women saluted and departed. Feliceth left, walking away from the pained howls and murmurs; while still staying alert around her.

 _"Pffft. Only a fool would think to message secrets_ _on_ _the job."_ Feliceth mused. She kept at a normal pace, keeping herself aloof to her comrades as usual. Roaming around the town, the only interactions being that of asur patrolling the empty streets littered with debris, who responded only with a simple nod. Besides that, the destroyed town other than the encampment was void of any life.

She kept strolling until she came across a stray animal. A cat. Black in colour but big and beautiful yellow eyes. It sat in the middle of the street and licked its paw. The little creature must've been owned either by a townsman who left in a hurry and had forgotten it. Whoever its owner was, the cat was certainly lucky to have survived the raid.

 _"I guess it's true what they say about cats: they do have nine lives."_ Feliceth thought. The cat soon closed in on her and brushed against her leg. Admittedly, she thought it was adorable but before Feliceth could pet it, the cat moved away and wandered off further away, only to stop in the middle of the street. The handmaiden thought about her duties, but she figured since she was dismissed, nothing was holding her to _not_ retrieve the lost pet. She pursued it at a slow pace, seeing no need to be in a hurry.

The cat walked and turn around corners, with Feliceth not far behind. It was surprisingly slow enough to allow the handmaiden more time to keep track of it; leaving clues to where she would follow. Spending a couple of minutes tracking the cat whilst passing by the Sea Guard inconspicuously, Feliceth located the cat reaching an empty house in surprisingly good condition. It was big in comparison to the rest. At least two stories, it more than likely housed a merchant family living off on trade.

The cat entered through the window. Feliceth felt something foreboding about entering the house. She felt as if something was crawling under her skin. However, Feliceth was not some poor useless maiden. She was a druchii, a warrior of Naggaroth. Not like her pathetic cousins of this Khaine-damned island. She carried a weapon on her always, and there was always her magic she could go back, despite only using it for small utility.

And not being the most proficient with it as well.

Preparing herself with a new frame of mind, Feliceth approached the house with confidence.

The front door was thankfully unlocked, giving her leeway to enter. Inside, it was relatively dark and empty. Feliceth cast a small blue fire from the palm of her hand. The place was now just empty.

There was some food left on a large table, most likely when a family was in the middle of lunch before Tiranoc called for an evacuation. By now, it had gotten cold and was collecting dust by the time she came in. Feliceth continued her search for the cat.

 _"Pssst! Here kitty, kitty!"_ Feliceth quietly called out. The only path leads upstairs. A meow was heard, and the handmaiden soon followed the noise. Slowly ascending, and minding the tight halls, Feliceth kept her eyes open to find unusual movement. The hallways had four rooms divided into two on each side; the furthest being on the one end facing the shore.

 _"Best guess is the cat must've entered the farthest room."_ Feliceth deduced. She quietly strode forward through the halls. Everything was eerily silent save for her own footsteps. Even though she steeled herself, Feliceth could feel her heart pounding to ridiculous levels. She may not be the most superstitious, but there's no telling if she would be ambushed by one of her own people.

Step by step, she made her way towards the end. She did inspect the first three rooms, though, found no signs of life as she predicted. She approached the final room and strained to hear the cat. A faint purr could be heard, and Feliceth slowly entered. The door was left open, leaving no barrier for her. The room was perhaps the biggest, more than likely made for a couple.

The light emanating from her flame was too dim to visibly engulf the room but partially enough for Feliceth. She scanned the room with the intent of finding the cat, which probably gave her no shortage of patience as she scoured. After a couple of minutes of searching every nook and cranny, it seemed like this game of cat and mice was starting to grow irritating for the Handmaiden. She decided to give up and leave.

_*HISSSSS!*_

Feliceth jumped back and scream as she saw a blur of shadow jump in front of her. Her flame dissipated as she lost her focus while raising her spear. Moments later, she cast the flame again and searched for whatever thing landed across her. She cast towards to her left flank, only to find the culprit to be rather a mischievous cat sitting on top of a dresser, licking its paw. Feliceth could only groan in annoyance.

"Stupid cat..." She said, spitefully. The cat simply meowed back at her; seemingly not aware of frightening the druchii.

"Ugh, why did I even bother finding you? All of this suspense was for nothing..." Feliceth bemoaned. She quickly turned her back and made her exit.

But before she could, the door slam shut on her just as she walked a few steps out. Feliceth jumped back in shock and now felt her heart ready to jump out of her chest. This time, her fire did not go out and held her spear at bay with only one hand. Eyes scoured the room; looking for possible threats. An inhuman giggle was heard, putting Feliceth on guard.

"Show yourself, wretch!" Feliceth roared defiantly. By now, her voice could be heard from outside, but there's no telling if anyone was nearby. The laughing continued.

 _"Oh, my dear..."_ it replied with feminine mockery. _"There's no need to pretend. No one will hear you curse."_

Feliceth greeted her teeth. She kept looking around to find the source of her tormentor. Right now, it was just her and the ca-

 _"Wait."_ Feliceth realized suddenly. _"The cat!"_

She turned back to the creature only to find it vanish from its original spot. Feliceth tensed up, realizing that she had fallen into a trap.

 _"My, my, you've grown quite careless. To think someone like you could be so complacent in her duties. But then I suppose a spy wouldn't make such a great handmaiden."_ The voice continued, much to Feliceth's shock. But the words soothed strangely to her ears followed by a sickeningly sweet smell of berries and crushed flowers. The scent repulsed her, yet clouded her thoughts. It disoriented her. The handmaiden was losing her grip on reality, as well as her spear. But she proved unwilling to the corrupting influence, despite the aroma overwhelming her senses. Her knees were feeling weak with every second passing; her arms grew heavy from the weight of the spear, and her concentration fading as her eyelids become heavy. The world around her began to spin uncontrollably despite her resistance, the scent drowning her other senses with no barrier to block them. Feliceth was so caught up in the strange smell, she failed to realize that she was face-to-face with her captor. Glowing red eyes filled her vision; leaving her in a trance state.

 _"There. Was that so hard to cooperate?"_ It rhetorically asked.

At that moment, Feliceth's legs finally gave in; allowing gravity to take centre stage. However, she felt hands carrying her back from further falling. A low hum was heard as if lulling Feliceth to sleep.

 _"Hush, my dear,"_ It spoke. _"Asya is here to take care of you. All you have to do is tell me what you know about our knight, and then I'll let you off without issue."_

Suddenly, Feliceth felt a hand cup one of her breasts; fondling tenderly. A moan escaped from her lips, arousing Asya with interests.

_"Perhaps I can extend this with a more... personal touch."_

From that moment, the world faded around her, and Feliceth's final moments were now in Asya's hands.

* * *

_Morning_

Doom Slayer spent his time waiting for the repairs on the boat by lifting the rubble around the town. The ship's gunnery caused significant damage to the surrounding infrastructures and blocked the streets because of it. The townsfolk returned only to find their homes in total disrepair. However, many of them were grateful for Tyrion's actions and gave thanks to him. He remained and coordinated relief efforts to the Everqueen's camp with Eldyra at his side. Alarielle and her healers made quick work to help wounded soldiers and the newly-freed slaves at the medical camps while Korhil and his white lions searched for survivors trapped underneath the rubble. A few dwarfen engineers that volunteered worked to rebuild the infrastructures and rescue their kin when the news was brought to light. Doom Slayer, however, made the headlines when he began lifting the heaviest of rubble without hindrance. Spectators watched in awe as he began pulling and dragging concrete blocks and wooden beams to the side of the road unencumbered. He worked tirelessly and pulled through, allowing other Asur to rescue what's left of their comrades underneath the destroyed town.

"Damn, Slayer," Korhil admitted. "Seems you're full of surprises."

 ** _"The first of many you'll see should we stay longer."_** Hayden added, eliciting a smirk under the Slayer's helm. Korhil chuckled at the boast.

"Well, try not to make us look useless." Korhil jested. "Can't hog all the women to yourself, y'know?"

Doom Slayer shrugged. Teclis approached the two men.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Teclis greeted. "The ship has been repaired. Alith is awaiting your appearance, Slayer."

Doom Slayer looked back at the White Lion. "It's alright. We can handle ourselves here. Besides, you've done enough lifting around here. Time you went off."

Doom Slayer dropped whatever was in his hands and began his leave. Teclis walked alongside him.

"Wait!" Both men stopped in their tracks and look back to see Korhil catch up to them with an axe in one hand.

"Since you're going there, you might need something handy to deal with," Korhil said as he passed the axe to Doom Slayer. "It might not look like much, but it may come in if you're feeling desperate. Plus, consider this as thanks for saving the people here."

Doom Slayer took the weapon off his hand and inspected it closely. For one thing, it was beautifully crafted. It was the "shorter" axe of Korhil's dual weapons. The axe head was pretty damn large but possibly had enough force when swung, he thought. He hadn't use melee weapons for a long time save for the **Crucible** and **Doomblade.** And even then, he always relied on his guns and fists to get the job done. However, he felt appreciative of the gesture. He nodded back.

 ** _"'My thanks', he says."_** Hayden read out his response.

"Anytime", Korhil replied. "And don't worry about me, I have a spare back at the armory." Doom Slayer nodded and both he and the Loremaster departed again.

"Enough time has been wasted and we will have you sailing on course. The time has come for Malekith to be put on... trial..."

Teclis trailed off at the last word. Doom Slayer recognized the hint and knew full well of the disgust in his tone. He hated it as much but Teclis seemed to struggle with his conscience.

 ** _"I assure you, Teclis."_** Hayden spoke up. **_"We will make the best of the situation. However, the chances of a peaceful negotiation will be slim, and I'm afraid that brutal companion will have to bring the king by force should this meeting go south."_**

"I pray that will be your final option." Teclis replied with discontent. Both continued forward, paying little attention to the town. It took around five minutes until they arrived at the ship. It still had the colours of its previous owner, much to the Slayer's displeasure, but he supposed it was necessary for the stealth mission.

For Alith and his men, at least. As soon as they reached land, he's going to make some noise for everyone to hear.

The Shadow King stood aboard the main deck, patiently waiting for Doom Slayer.

"We will be sailing shortly. A couple of more supplies and we will be on our way. Any goodbyes before we leave?"

 ** _"We do, in fact."_** Doom Slayer looked back at Teclis and pulled out a small device from one of his pockets.

 ** _"This is an earbud, Teclis,"_** Hayden explained. **_"This device will allow me to communicate from a long distance. Meaning I can call you from Naggaroth all the way back to the island."_**

Doom Slayer placed the device on Teclis' hand. The loremaster with curiosity and wonder at the earbud.

"How does it work?" He asked.

 ** _"Simply place it on your ear. The soft layer will be lodged in your ear canal."_** Hayden instructed. Of course, the loremaster was having difficulties and applied the earbud rather awkwardly. Doom Slayer stepped in and helped the Asur readjust the device.

 ** _"Better?"_** Hayden asked.

"Much better." Teclis answered. "My thanks, Slayer."

Doom Slayer simply raised a thumbs up in kind.

 ** _"As I was saying,"_** Hayden continued. **_"_** ** _I can communicate with you no matter where. Should you ever make an urgent call, press the button on the side of it. Let go of it after to allow me to speak. Rinse and repeat."_**

"Thank you, Hayden, for the instructions." Teclis replied, gratefully. "And you as well, Slayer."

Doom Slayer nodded. Out of the corner of his eyes, he soon noticed a strange hooded figure hiding behind a pack of crates looking towards the two. Doom Slayer took initiative and immediately strode past Teclis and made his way towards them. The stranger took notice of his approach and quickly attempted to escape through the busy crowd. Doom Slayer, however, was faster and grabbed them by the shoulder before they could make a run. A yelp came out and the Slayer realized it was a girl's voice. He pulled the hood out and realized it was Aliathra. She looked at him with a mix of fear and embarrassment and reacted as if she were a tortoise hiding under her shell. Doom Slayer let go and calmed down, easing tensions between one another immediately. Teclis caught up with the two and immediately recognized the Everchild.

"Aliathra? What are you doing here?" He sternly questioned. Aliathra winced at the lowered tone she received.

"I... heard about the attack and decided that I volunteer to help with the survivors." She answered. Of course, that was a lie and both adults looked unimpressed with her. Doom Slayer crossed his arms while Teclis shook his head in disappointment.

"Right," Teclis said. "Then I suppose the guards have turned the other way while you 'freely' walk around without supervision, correct?"

"Yes!" Ali responded. "More or less!"

Teclis pinched the bridge of his nose with an air of annoyance.

"Ali. You know you're not a child anymore, yes? You are expected to uphold your duties as the next Everqueen right after your mother. No more lies. The truth, Ali."

Aliathra pouted but sighed in resignation.

"Alright, I snuck over here right after hearing about a Slayer striking back at the pirates. I wanted to see the aftermath of what happened."

"And?" Teclis drew out. Aliathra rubbed her arm.

"...And I heard about Slayer leaving today. Wanted to say goodbye before he left. I wish we got to know each other."

Doom Slayer rolled his eyes but relaxed his shoulder. Damn kids, he thought. Teclis, meanwhile, sighed.

"Then I'm afraid there isn't much to see. Rather fortunate, really. And while it is kind of you to say goodbye, you should at least come here with proper security." He lectured. "Come, we'll have to return you to Lothern before your mother finds out."

"That won't be necessary, Teclis," A voice spoke, grabbing the three's attention. "I have already been informed."

Doom Slayer and Teclis turned back to see Alarielle - alongside her Handmaidens - and Tyrion standing behind them. Although, this time, the Everqueen was the one to speak while Tyrion remained uncharacteristically quiet. Alarielle approached with a stone-cold expression. While nowhere near as menacing as the Slayer's hateful gaze, he knew better than to go between a parent and her child. Aliathra stood there sheepishly, twiddling her fingers as her mother neared. Suddenly, Alarielle pinched her daughter by the ear before dragging her out.

"Owowow! Mother!" Aliathra whined. "I can explain!"

"Nonsense. I already know enough." Her mother replied. "You left home without any supervision. Thus, causing a stir among the maidens. Then you decided to come here despite the hazards around here, as we have still yet found all the remaining pirates."

"Actually, we've found all the pirates." Tyrion corrected, earning him a hard glare from the Everqueen.

"...But I'll double the patrols to keep searching in case." He sheepishly said. Doom Slayer found that to be odd considering his bombastic attitude. Alarielle smiled.

"Good, now where was I?" Alarielle continued. "Ah, yes. Thirdly, you've decided to snoop around under false pretenses that you were here to help. What do you have to say to yourself, young lady?"

Aliathra whinnied a bit under the pinch. "I-I'm sorry, m-mother!"

"Will this be the last you'll ever try that again?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Good." Alarielle released her grip, letting Aliathra rub her ears, tears almost swelling in her eyes. The Everqueen looked back at Doom Slayer with a bright demeanour.

"Apologies for the scene. I was told you were to leave soon. I am here to give my farewells."

 ** _"Thank you, Alarielle,"_** Hayden answered. **_"It was a pleasure to discuss your people's culture and magic. As it was with Teclis."_**

"Oh, likewise, Hayden!" She replied. However, she soon dropped the smile. "However, I fear that the voyage will not go accordingly. While you are indeed capable of protecting yourself, I do worry Naggaroth may cause you trouble."

 ** _"Worry not, Everqueen,"_** Hayden assured. **_"Trouble happens to be the Slayer's... approach."_**

Alarielle smiled brightly. "How assertive! Best of luck!"

**_"Goodbye, Everqueen. Everchild. Tyrion._ **

Doom Slayer nodded. As he was about to leave, he took one last look at Aliathra, still cupping her ear. He reached out a hand and gently patted her head, much to the shock of everyone. Tyrion and the Handmaidens were about to pull out their swords but Alarielle raised a hand to stop them, strangely amused by the scene. Aliathra was turning a little red in embarrassment, while Teclis could only stare in stunned silence. Doom Slayer wasn't sure what came of him to make the gesture, but he did somewhat felt sympathy for the girl. He took his hand off and left with Teclis without much fanfare. The rest stared long until both were out of sight.

Walking a bit further from earshot, Teclis spoke up.

"I hope that'll be the last time you'll ever do such a thing. The Everchild is not to be touched. Or given head pats." He warned. The Slayer simply shrugged.

They returned to the ship, Alith standing expectantly near the side port.

"Had your goodbyes yet?" Alith asked.

 ** _"Affirmative."_** Hayden answered. Doom Slayer nodded in turn.

"Good," Alith said. "The last of our supplies has been boarded. We'll be sailing shortly.'

"Thank you, Alith. I must speak a few words with the Slayer and Hayden." Said Teclis.

"As you wish." Alith walked back to the ship, leaving the Loremaster and Slayer.

"Well then, Slayer, Hayden. I believe it's time we separate."

 ** _"Indeed. It was a pleasure doing business. If you have further questions, use the earbud. Until then, we will bring news of Naggaroth. Until next time."_** Said Hayden.

"Likewise." Teclis replied. Doom Slayer outstretched his hand, allowing Teclis to shake in return. "I look forward to our future endeavours."

 ** _"As am I, Teclis. So long."_** Doom Slayer walked up the ship just as Hayden finished his words. The board was removed, and the ship began unfurling its sails. Teclis was not the only one, however, to watch the ship leave. Tyrion and his family watched while Alarielle and their daughter waved goodbye to the Slayer. The ship continued drifting towards the ocean, before disappearing further from the island.

_"May the Winds of Magic guide you, Slayer."_

* * *

_The Tower of Cold_

Malekith gazed upon the north with neverending vigilance. Chaos was drawing near, and the Witch-King had made preparations for the assault. Many times have they besieged Naggaroth and many times they have failed to ravage the lands of the Druchii. For these lands were under the watchful eyes of not only the Witch-King but the _T_ _rue_ Son of Aenarion. And Malekith will see to it that the Dark Gods will be crushed beneath his feet.

The barbarians' futile attempts will just be another failed conquest.

Malekith sighed in a sombre mood. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

Once, a proud son not only to his father but to Ulthuan itself. He wanted to live up to his father's legacy and protect his home from the vile daemons. He was even willing to lead his people as the next Phoenix King just so he could march north and end the blight once and for all. All to safeguard his home.

But the Princes, damn those fools, gave the crown instead to Bel Shanaar. To his admission, Malekith took the replacement with stride and for a time, he had instead taken to venturing the outside world, where he had made vast discoveries over there. But time erodes, and with Malekith, his noble heart turned to envy and arrogance. And in his arrogance, Malekith took to poisoning Bel Shanaar... and step into the Fire of the Phoenix.

But the Spirit of Asuryan rejected him. Unworthy of his deeds, Malekith was forever scarred from the flame - skin permanently burned and charred despite ages past - and banished along with his mother and followers, where they would spend thousands of years residing in their icy kingdom of Naggaroth. Forever plotting against the traitors who cast them out from their home.

Now, all Malekith could do was reflect on his past. How things could have been different had been the Phoenix King. Alone.

_"My son... why let this grief consume you?"_

Malekith froze. He turned to face the voice only to find nothing.

_"Why take your anger on your own people... when the fault lies upon you?"_

**"Who said that?"** Malekith snarled. **"Show yourself! And face me with whatever dignity you have left!"**

No answer was given. Only silence.

As Malekith tempered the fire in his blood, a dim glow was made present.

_"Would you dare raise your sword against the one who breathed life into you? Your own blood?"_

Facing the intruder again, Malekith turned with magic in hand, only to stare in shock at what greeted him.

**"...Father...?"**

_"Hello, Malekith."_ Said Aenarion. _"It has been a long time since I... since I have left in your mother's care."_

His form - still in his prime, wearing the armor he had worn in his war against the forces of Chaos - stood not proudly, but solemnly. His eyes, however, were heavy with guilt and regret as he looked upon Malekith - his son - in his twisted form. Malekith, meanwhile, composed himself and made eye to eye with him. Though, he strained to look into his father's eyes with all of his wills, while also hiding his shame behind his mask.

 **"Indeed."** Replied Malekith. **"Why have you come here? Of all times?"**

Aenarion sighed before speaking. _"Is it wrong for a father to see his own child? Let alone see what he has become?"_

Malekith was seething. The first words that were brought in this reunion were shame? It deeply wounded him to hear them.

 **"I am a king, father,"** He said with conviction. **"I have brought order and discipline to my people. This kingdom follows my word... as I have with yours."**

 _"What you have brought... is nothing but suffering and pain. To them, to the rest of the world, and yourself. Your words deceive them... as it has to you."_ Aenarion deflected as if a dark imitation of his son's words. Malekith's lips tightened.

 **"What reason has given you to visit your son? If not to scorn me, then what else?"** He asked, keeping an eye on the north. Aenarion thought carefully of the next words to come out of his mouth.

_"I... have come here to warn of the apocalypse that draws near. You and everyone in this kingdom will not survive."_

**"Heheheh..."** Malekith laughed grimly. **"That's the second time I've been told of it. Mother said the same earlier. I worry not, for it will be just another failed raid."**

 _"But you should,"_ Aenarion warned. _"This is no meagre raid. It is an invasion. No one will survive this torrent. Not you. Your mother. No one... unless you unite Ulthuan as one."_

Malekith snarled at the name. **"And what would you have me do? Bow and prostrate myself to the princes? Where they will show mercy by separating my head from my shoulders? It is a foolish endeavour."**

 _"But it is the only way that the world may yet survive a terrible fate."_ Aenarion continued. _"_ _Finubar is dead. And Ulthuan is without a king to lead them."_

 **"I know."** Replied Malekith, already made aware of the king's death in Ulthuan through his spy network. **"And I say good riddance. It will make conquest all the more smooth knowing that they are headless and squabbling amongst themselves."**

 _"You will **not** raise your sword against our people!" _Aenarion chided. _"They do not need a tyrant at the helm! They need a leader to look to!"_

**"Yet I was the one that protected them from the creeping darkness that plagued them thousands of years ago. While Ulthuan grows bloated with their own petty squabbles and poetry, I remain here tirelessly vanquishing the Enemy to preserve what is rightfully mine through conquest!"**

_"And what of the innocent? Of those who you send armies in retaliation when they could not defend themselves? Why shed the blood of our kinsmen?"_ Aenarion questioned.

 **"Because they denied me!"** Malekith lashed out. **"They denied me as their rightful ruler! The Son of Aenarion himself! Who was there to defend them when the Defender himself vanished?! Who protected them when Chaos returned and ravaged their home?! IT WAS I! MALEKITH! THE TRUE KING! I WAS THE ONE THE COURT SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN! THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN EMBRACED BY** **ASURYAN HIMSELF!"**

 _"They denied you because you killed their king!"_ Aenarion retaliated. _"Poisoned him when he was to be the next in line! Asuryan rejected you because of this monstrous act alone!"_

 **"You think of me as a monster...?"** Malekith replied, wounded by his father's words. **"I did all of this... to make you proud...! To live up to your name!"**

Before his father could speak up, Malekith ripped off his mask in rage. And whatever anger Aenarion felt was washed away as he could only look on in horror at what was left of his son's face. Skin blackened by the fires; crumbling and oozing with painful blisters. Half of his nose was missing and the lips were almost gone, leaving a near-permanent grin behind.

The only ones that barely changed were his eyes. Eyes as green as emerald that burned brightly with hate and torment. And through it all, Aenarion could see the heavy burden and pain his son had gone through all these years.

 **"Tell me, father..."** Malekith started, his voice almost cracking. **"Do you _still_ consider me a monster..? For trying to measure up to _you_? For believing that _I_ alone could protect my homeland?"**

Aenarion was speechless. He closed his eyes, pained by the sight of his son's scars. This only angered Malekith further.

 **"...TELL ME!"** Yelled Malekith. Aenarion slowly opened his eyes. No longer did anger consume him. Only remorse.

_"...I taught you in the way of the sword so that you may one day protect not just yourself... but of our most sacred home. Your mother... despite the darkness in her heart... taught you magic because she believed that you were gifted with the blood running through your veins. But what we-... what I... should have done... was to raise you as my son."_

All of the anger inside Malekith vanished. But the bitterness yet remained. He cast his eyes away from his father.

 **"Leave now."** He simply said. **"We are done here."**

Aenarion remained still until he found his voice.

_"...A harbinger will come... and he will give you an offer. Accept it... for there is no other choice but oblivion..."_

**"I said... _leave_."**

In the midst of it, the door to his throne swung open and approaching was his loyal guard Kouran. Blackhand stopped in his footsteps, initially confused by his lord's order. Malekith was facing directly to the north and stood still. It unnerved the Black Guard but there was an urgency that needed to be addressed.

"Sire? Were you speaking to someone?" Asked Kouran. "I have urgent news, but I can return another time."

 **"No. It is nothing... I was simply alone with my thoughts."** Malekith responded. **"What news do you bring?"**

Kouran gulped but cleared his throat.

"Sire, I have received news from the shades that the watchtowers from the north have been destroyed. The warriors who've attacked them bear the symbol of the Blood God. They outnumber us, my lord. Shall I raise the alarms?"

 **"Hmm..."** His king hummed. Malekith placed his mask back on and turned to Kouran. **"You have my consent. Have every soldier armed and ready. And alert the other towers. Tonight, war comes to us."**

Kouran nodded and bowed respectfully before. Malekith called upon the **Destroyer** and made his way out.

**"On this night, I will show Khaine that I am worthy, and sing to him with the screams of my enemies."**

* * *

_Blodfest - Danheim_

_North of Naggarond_

A darkshard screams in agony as the spear, **Slaupnir** , is pushed further into his guts. Valkia could only look in disgust at the wretched elf beneath her.

"Ugh! A skull unworthy to Kharnath! How meagre of a gift to send." She said before wrenching the spear out and taking a wide arc to the neck. The scream ceased and the head went flying off elsewhere on the snow. The bloody skirmish around her was dying down now. What few dark elves there were made a run for the trees.

Cowards, they were. She would have sent her most precious hounds to go after them, but she quickly reconsidered it to be a waste of time. Besides, this was a much-needed exercise for the berserkers. The time spent chasing across the south has made her army restless and hungry for combat. And with the cowards retreating, that meant an even bigger battle, meaning more worthy skulls to gift to the Lord of Brass. Valkia smiled at the prospects. The End Times draw and the world will drown in the blood of the weak.

She surveyed the battlefield. The latest watchtower was engulfed in flames, while marauders and berserkers continuously search for bodies to sink their axes into, screaming for the glory of Khorne himself. However, rather than join the revelry, the Gorequeen set her sights on the Black Towers beyond the treelines.

The tallest could be seen several miles from where she was; the tip almost piercing the heavens above. However, she knew fully that it was a mere illusion of the distance they were in. In truth, they were still a long way to go arriving at the gates. Valkia was ever annoyed with the reality of the distance between them and glory!

At the very least, her shield shut up for once.

"Brothers of slaughter!" A voice rang out. Valkia turned to see Wulfrik gathering the attention of every warrior in the midst of slaughter.

"We draw close to filling the Hound's cup with blood! And within it, the blood of the elves shall sake Khorne's thirst! Those weak milk-drinkers hide behind their thick walls for comfort! But no wall will stop us... for Khorne has given blessings to our cause! Praise to the Blood God!"

The warriors cheered on with reckless abandonment. Valkia snorted sharply at his speech. Although, to her admission, he sure knew how to boost morale from time to time. And a party as well.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her from behind. She looked up to see one of Khorne's most prized champion and fellow butcher.

Arbaal the Undefeated.

He sat still on top of his mount, a prized flesh hound bred by none other than the Brass God himself, and looked down on the Gorequeen.

"Do you not wish to join the slaughter, Valkia?" He asked. Not out of concern, but more questioning in her odd behavior. It pissed her off to no end that he was staring down at her from his position.

"Arbaal," She greeted first; barely hiding the contempt in her voice. "Still surprised that you would join my army. I figured you would be in Ind like Wulfrik."

"With the rest of the North still in disarray, such opportunities are now limited." He answered, to which Valkia agreed.

"Hmm. Agreed." She said. "And to answer your question, this 'slaughter' is not fulfilling enough. Each watchtower we go, we have so little blood to shed in His name. The prize is not within our reach, just yet."

"I can agree to that. Hmmph." He hummed. "The elves, despite the Wanderer's claims, are worthy tributes to Khorne's name. But I am eyeing something for Khorne's attention."

"Oh? And what would that be?" She asked accusingly. Despite the helmet being in the way, a smirk resonated behind it.

"You know what lurks beyond the dark elves. In the realm of Alfheim. You're not the only one seeking it."

She grimaced. "Then you understand the threat, haven't you?"

A dark chuckle was heard. "Has the Gorequeen herself suddenly feel so easily frightened by superstition?"

"Careful with those words, Arbaal!" She snarled, her spear now aimed at his throat. "Unless you would like to be unseated and be fed to your own hound, then I advise you to be extremely cautious of the next words that come out of your tongue!"

He looked impassively at her but his hound made the lowest of growls at the perceived threat.

"I meant no offence, Gorequeen." He said with barely an apology. "I meant it in healthy competition. We both wish to please our master. And I intend to give the greatest of prizes in His Name."

"And I intend to make sure that you do not _insult_ me again." She threatened. "Piss me off for the final time, and your skull will be His ashtray."

"I understand." He concluded, before riding off elsewhere. Valkia was irritated by the conversation but eased herself with another stab on the corpse.

"Gorequeen!" A voice called. This time, it was Wulfrik again. She could only grumble again at the witless warrior.

"What do you want, World-Walker?" Asked Valkia.

"No reason but to give thanks, of course!" He proudly said. "With you at our side, our army shall see glory when you lead at the front!"

"An honor, I suppose." She faintly thanked. "Any other reasons to bother me?"

"Saw the argument from afar." He said indignantly. "Not getting along, I take it?"

"What business do you have invading other people's privacy?"

"Seems there's a bit of rivalry going on between you and the Undefeated. I take it has something to do with 'you-know-who'?" He answered, indignantly. This did not impress her one bit.

"Leave such matters to me. We will keep marching until we are at the gates of the Witch-King!" She commanded. "This skirmish is only a taste of what comes next."

Valkia soon ascended towards the sky, her wings spreading in their crimson beauty. She could see every face looking directly at her as she took to the skies. Even the Undefeated could not help but stare directly at her from above, which left no shortage of superiority for her.

"NORSCANS! You have all heard the World-Walker's speech, and I can say that to be true for Khorne's followers. But we are not even close to fulfilling Khorne's horn. Naggaroth still stands, and I still see the eyesore that is the Black Towers! Tonight, the rivers of Khorne shall flow endlessly with the blood of elves! And we will be the ones to shed them in His Name! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"

The warriors roared in anticipation. Wulfrik joined in on the revelry while Arbaal remained silent even as his hound howled with the crowd. Valkia could feel no shortage of pride and bloodlust.

"FORWARD!" Valkia ordered as she aimed her spear to the south. The warriors ran forward with bloody fervent and tirelessly marched down south.

No longer did she plague herself with worries. Only did the love of Khorne fill her mind.

_"The world calls... ripe for our taking!"_


End file.
